New Hope Home
by Tovaras
Summary: Heero is the new guy on a high school, Duo is the goofball and they become friends. Surrounded by both friends and enemies, will love blossom? No weapons, superpowers or war: I give you the reality of the life of a normal gay couple. Rating will rise.
1. The New Guy

New Hope Home  
  
Author: Dragongirl85 E-mail: Golddragon85@hotmail.com Parings: HeeroxDuo Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sorry to say it, but I don't. If I did, Relena would be killed a long time ago and the Gundam Boys would be extremely happy (not because Relena was dead. Well, Heero would.) I'm making no money for writing this. Don't sue, you won't get much anyway, unless you want a cranky, old cat, a fucked up cell-phone and a really, really, REALLY old and crappy computer. Rating: PG-13 Notes: *clears throat* Erm, I know I'm already working on another story, but this idea just jumped into my skull and it's refusing to go away before I write it down. It's the standard fluff and all that. Heero Yuy is the new kid on a college in America. There he meets goof-ball and "out-off-the- closet" Duo Maxwell. The two of them become great friends, but there is something more hidden behind the happy mask that Duo wears.:) Enjoy! Warning: Crappy English, bad, spelled English words and no plot. Need a Gundam Wing Beta, the quicker, the better. Archive: Sure, but please ask first.:)  
  
***  
  
The New Kid:  
  
The sun was shining and it was a lovely day at the local high-school. It was one of those days that always comes when you're stuck at school. You know, sunny and warm. A day that you just wanna stay out and have a sun bath. This day was no different. It was the first day of school after a rather rainy summer vacation, new students had arrived for the new semester and old classes was about to finish their years on college. One of those new students was 18 year old Heero Yuy. He had just moved here from San Francisco and he didn't like it one bit.  
  
As said, this was a lovely summer day and Heero was slowly walking towards his new school, cursing all the way. Why did they have to move from San Francisco. He was perfectly happy there. What was the point of moving to a new school when you only had a year left anyway?  
  
Kicking an empty can over a bush, he grunted. He decided to refuse to talk to anybody at this new place. He wasn't going to stay there anyway so what was the point of getting new friends when he would have to leave them anyway. Besides, he was happy when he could be alone.  
  
Ripping him away from his self pity, a angry female voice was heard from behind the bush.  
  
"Hey, who did that?"  
  
Around the corner came a girl with long, light brown hair, with two small braid hanging in at the back of her head and the most disgusting pink dress Heero had ever seen in his entire life. The girl looked at him before she smiled.  
  
"Did you see who threw this can?"  
  
Ah, so that was what he'd hit. 'Bulls eye', he thought.  
  
"Yeah, it was me. Gomen." He didn't want to look at her, the color was stinging in his eyes. Damn, was it possible to wear such bright colors? Risking a little peek, he saw that the girls smile was even wider.  
  
"Ah, don't worry. I'm not mad so there is no need to be shy." Shy? Who was shy? Clearly she mistaken his look away as some sort of shyness.  
  
"I'm not shy," he mumbled and started walking again. The girl followed.  
  
"So, who are you? I've never seen you around here before."  
  
"My name is Heero and yes, I'm new here. I'm here to attend 'Black Hole' college facility."  
  
The girl smiled even wider. "Great! That's the same college I'm at!" Oh, great. Just was he needed.  
  
The girl stopped and took his hand. Startled, Heero stopped and the girl shook his hand. "My name is Relena Darlian and I'm very pleased to meet you." Heero looked at her and Relena let go of his hand.  
  
"Nice to meet you," he said slowly, sarcasm dripping from every word before he continued walking. Relena followed his and started talking. Seeing the school gate was a savior for Heero and he stopped. Relena smiled at him again and stuffed a note in his hand.  
  
"If you ever want to talk or just hang out, Heero, feel free to call me." With a wave, she walked over to some other girls and vanished. Heero started at the piece of paper in his hand, before he ripped it into little pieces and let the summer wind carry it away. There was no way in hell he was going to call that girl.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Now, what do you think? I made this chapter short on purpose, 'cause it was the best place to cut. Next one will be longer. I promise. Oh, and sorry about the start, but I suck when it comes to start a story. I normally figure out the middle and the ending, so I've got notting left for a proper start on stories. Gomen. Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	2. Hi, I'm Duo!

New Hope Home  
  
Okay, next chapter. Erm. What can I say? It's still Heero's first day of school and we haven't even met the other Gundam pilots. Just the annoying bitch, erm. I mean Relena. Anyway, things are starting to speed up a little, longer chapter and some more introductions. Enjoy!  
  
***  
  
"Hi, I'm Duo!":  
  
The class was stuffed with teenagers, everybody was talking about the summer they'd spend, where they had spent it and with who. The only one who wasn't talking to anyone, was a guy with Prussian blue eyes and messy, chocolate colored hair. Heero Yuy was just glaring at his fellow students.  
  
'Honestly,' he thought. 'How can a class be this noisy. My old class was much more quiet.'  
  
In time to stop the noise before it drove Heero crazy, the teacher, Mr. Adams, came in.  
  
"Okay, everybody. Settle down. I know you're all very exited to meet your comrades again, but you got time to catch up later." Clearing his throat, Mr. Adams sat down. "Now, the first assignment I have today, is to introduce you for a new student here at 'Black Hole'. Mr. Yuy?"  
  
Nodding towards Heero, Mr. Adams smiled. "Would you like to get up and introduce yourself?"  
  
Heero got up and walked towards the teachers desk. Turning to face his fellow students, he took a deep breath. "My name is Heero Yuy and I've just moved here from San Francisco, just about one month ago.  
  
The class smiled and said 'Hi', and Heero walked back to his place.  
  
"Well, it's nice to have you here, Heero. We all hope you'll become comfortable here. Now, I thought we could start this lesion by reading some poetry."  
  
The class groaned and Mr. Adams smiled. "No complains. Take up your literature books and read chapter-"  
  
*BANG*  
  
The door suddenly slammed open and in ran a slightly flushed and heavy breathing teen with long chestnut hair.  
  
"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry! I overslept. I'm so sorry, Mr. Adams, it will never happen again and I hope I didn't miss anything important!" Panting slightly, the boy cracked an eye open and looked at Mr. Adams.  
  
"That's okay, Mr. Maxwell. You didn't miss anything according to homework, but you missed the introduction of our new student. Please take a seat. You can meet him later."  
  
The teen dropped himself on the chair next to Heero and brushed his hand trough his bangs. Looking towards Heero, he smiled and waived before he turned his attention to the book they were reading.  
  
Heero merely smiled and nodded back before he turned his eyes to the pages of the book. The guy had his hair in a long braid, longer than Heero had ever seen in his life, and he was dressed in black. The pants, the leather jacked and the t-shirt. All black. Even so, his personality seemed merry enough. While he studied this guy, he noticed the cross that was attached around his neck. Heero thought it added a nice touch to the black clothing. It suited him. The longhaired boy turned and Heero found out that he was starring. He smiled and turned his attention to his own book, slightly red in the face. He didn't know why, but he found himself being fascinated by the guy.  
  
***  
  
Lunch time came rather quickly and Heero soon found himself at a table alone, just sipping a black coffee and eating a baguette while trying to read a book.  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Looking up, he saw a small, blonde teen, holding a tray.  
  
"Excuse me, but do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."  
  
Heero shook his head and the blonde sat down. Gently letting his bag slide from his shoulder and placing the tray upon the table, the teen reached out his hand.  
  
"I'm Quatre, by the way. Quatre Raberba Winner. You are?"  
  
"Heero You," Heero said and lied down the book so he could shake Quatre's hand. Quatre smiled and took a sip of his tea. "You're the new student, huh? I heard Trowa tell me about you, but he couldn't remember your name."  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
Quatre laughed. "Oh, right. You probably don't know who it is. Tall guy, quiet. He's in your literature class."  
  
"Has he hair that covers half his face?" Quatre nodded. "Have you talked to him?"  
  
Heero shook his head. "I haven't really talked to anybody yet. I've. Tried to get myself into order first. The only person I've talked to is a girl named Relena."  
  
"Relena, huh?" Quatre coughed. "Well, I guess it could be worst."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Quatre smiled again and took a bite of his meal. "Well, Relena is very popular against the girls because she's really rich, but the boys. Well, she can be a pain sometimes."  
  
Heero shrugged. "I don't know her, but I already know. I accidentally kicked a can on her and she gave me her phone number.."  
  
Quatre lifted an eyebrow. "Did she?" Closing his eyes in an entertained matter, Quatre giggled. "Now why am I not surprised?"  
  
Heero just looked down in his coffee. "She does that a lot? Giving her phone number away to strangers, I mean."  
  
Quatre finished his meal. "Not really, but when she finds a guy that she really fancy, she won't stop until she's dating him or the guy is dead. She's done that every since she started here. I guess you're the lucky one this year.  
  
Heero snorted. "Lucky me."  
  
"Where have you moved too, Heero?" Heero placed his coffee on the table and studied his hand. "Hollers street nr. 2."  
  
Quatre shivered. "Then you'd probably end up getting Relena on your back every morning. She lives in the snob area, just two houses from me. Elmer street nr. 14."  
  
Heero looked at him and Quatre smiled. "Yes, my father has a certain amount of money."  
  
Heero grunted and looked down again.  
  
Quatre smiled and pushed away his tray. Gently sipping his tea, he studied the strange teen in front of him. "So, have you been attacked by Shinigami yet?"  
  
Heero looked up and found the other teen studying him. "Shinigami? Who's-?"  
  
Quatre got up and lifted up the tray. He placed on the tray washer and got back, grabbing his bag and smiled. "It will be more fun for you to find out on your own. But I can guarantee you that Shinigami will cross your rode. He always does."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Oh, and one more thing." Quatre opened his bag and ripped out a piece of paper. He quickly wrote something on it and handed it to Heero. Heero looked at it before he took the paper. Quatre nodded. "My cell phone number. If there is anything you are curious about, or you just want to talk and make some friends, call me." With that, he turned and walked out of the cafeteria. Heero looked at the note and put it in his bag. 'No harm keeping this number,' he muttered before he smiled. 'This guy was actually nice.'  
  
Taking his now empty coffee cup, the rest of his half eaten baguette and his books, he headed for the trash cans. Dumping his trash in the cans, he turned to find out where his next class was, but as he turned he bumped into a mass of chestnut hair and black clothing. Heero fell onto the floor with a loud *thud* and moaned. Cracking his eyes up, he stared into two big, Cobalt blue eyes.  
  
"Hey, you okay?"  
  
Heero nodded and got onto his knees to gather up his books.  
  
"I'm so sorry, man. I didn't see where I was headed 'cause I was in a hurry and-"  
  
'Damn,' Heero thought. 'His mouth is going a mile per minute!'  
  
The long haired teen picked up a couple of books and handed some of them to Heero. Heero took them and smiled.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
The teen smiled back, before he checked his watch and released a strange little sound from his throat.  
  
"Christ, I'm late!" The teen got onto his legs and held out a hand to Heero. Heero grabbed it and pulled himself up. The guy smiled once more. "I would love to stay and chat, but I don't have the time. Talk to ya later, new guy. After all, we're in the same class." And with that, he run off. Heero looked after him before he remembered what he had to do.  
  
***  
  
The day was now over and Heero was on his way home. He had successfully avoided anymore meetings with a certain pink dressed nightmare, but Quatre was nowhere to be seen. He had hoped he could talk some more with him 'cause he had sounded like a really nice guy. But no such luck.  
  
Kicking the can that he had hit Relena with just a couple of hours ago, he found himself smiling. That black clothed tornado certainty was an interesting guy. The way he was dressed would normally say that he meant trouble, but the way he was acting. That was all different. The guy was so different from himself.  
  
Almost without noticing it, he walked in the gate to his new home. He had only just begun to get himself in order, but he still had two boxes left to unpack. As he searched his pocket for his keys, he heard a faith voice calling. He turned and saw that the black clothed guy was running towards him, his braid dancing behind him.  
  
Heero just stared as the guy run trough the gate and stopped in front of him. Trying to catch his breath, the longhaired teen hold out a book.  
  
"-ere! *puff* You-*gasp*-dropped this!"  
  
Looking up, the guy dried away some sweat with his sleeve while holding out the book towards Heero. Heero took it. The guy smiled.  
  
"I accidentally took it with me when I bumped into you in the cafeteria today. Sorry 'bout that, man."  
  
Heero smiled.  
  
"That's okay. Thank you for bringing it here. I hope it wasn't too much trouble." The guy shook his head, still trying to regain is breath.  
  
"No problem, dude. When I found it among my own books, I thought I could deliver it tomorrow. But then again I wasn't certain if I would meet you tomorrow or if you needed it so I asked Mr. Adams if he could tell me where you lived. It's just a couple of blocks from where I live, so it was no problem. I saw you turn to walk in here from a distance so I decided to run the rest of the way."  
  
Heero smiled and nodded, surprised that this strange teen was able to talk for so long when he was completely out of breath.  
  
Suddenly, a hand was in his face. The guy was smiling and signalized Heero to grab it. Heero did.  
  
"I'm Duo by the way. Duo Maxwell. Shinigami amongst friends and my motto is 'I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie'." 'A-ha,' Heero thought. So this was 'Shinigami'. A little puzzled about the nickname, he shook Duo's hand.  
  
"I'm Heero Yuy. I've just moved here from San Francisco."  
  
Duo smiled and released Heero's hand. "Nice meeting you, Heero. Sorry about missing your presentation this morning, but I overslept. Typical me." Heero nodded and Duo looked at him.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Why are you looking at me?"  
  
"Oh, no reason. I just wondered if you play basketball."  
  
Heero looked back. "Well. Yeah, sometimes."  
  
Duo grinned. "Say, wanna come and shoot some hops with me after school tomorrow? You know, so we can get to know each other and stuff. How does that sound?"  
  
Heero smiled and nodded.  
  
"I'd like that."  
  
Duo's grin became even wider and he gave Heero the 'thumbs up'. "Great. I'm off at 3 o'clock. Can you met me on the field around that time?"  
  
Heero nodded and Duo smiled. "Great." Then, for the third time that day, Heero saw a hand disappear into a bag and pull out a piece of paper. Quickly writing down some numbers, Duo handed over the note.  
  
"Here's my cell number. If something's holding you up or you just wanna chat someday, this is the number to call." Heero nodded and before he could stop, his own hand disappeared into his own back and fished out a piece of paper. Writing down his own cell number, he handed it to Duo.  
  
"Like wise to you, Duo."  
  
Duo grabbed the paper and smiled. "Thanks, man. Talk to you later then."  
  
And with that, he waived and walked out the gate. Heero watched him disappear down the street before he fished up the keys from his pocked and opened the door.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Yay! I've now introduced Heero to Quatre And Duo! The rest of the guys will come soon, just be patient. I'm actually thinking about making Treize a teacher, Lady Une the head master and Zechs and Noin as assistants. Now, what do you think? Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	3. Warnings

New Hope Home  
  
New chapter, new chapter! Yay, I'm so proud of myself. Not much happening here. We're finally introduced to Trowa and Wufei. Hilde is mentioned and we still haven't seen any OZ soldier.:) But they will come. They're lurking around here somewhere. Anyway, enjoy the fic!  
  
***  
  
"Warnings":  
  
A new day was starting and Heero was once again walking towards his new school. But this time, he was smiling while he walked. He had gotten to know two really friendly guys, even though one of them talked more than the average person, and that made up for the cruelty of meeting Relena Darlian. Quickly searching the area where he had met her the last time, he found the coast cleared. No pink dressed nightmare was in sight. Sighing in relief, he quickly walked towards the school.  
  
When he approached the gate in front of the school, he saw Quatre standing. Quatre spotted him as well and waved his hand, telling him to come there. Heero nodded and walked towards him. When he approached them, he noticed that Quatre wasn't alone. A tall guy with bangs covering half his face was standing next to them. The guy Quatre had named Trowa.  
  
"Hi, Heero," Quatre smiled.  
  
Heero greeted back and Quatre nodded towards Trowa. "You already know, but this is Trowa. Trowa Barton."  
  
Heero nodded and Trowa nodded back. The three of them stood like that for a while, until-  
  
"Hey, Quuuuuuuuatre!"  
  
Everybody turned and saw Duo came walking towards them, a big smile plastered on his face.  
  
"Hey, everybody is here except Wuffie. But instead of him, we have Heero. Hi, Heero. We're still on for today, right?"  
  
Quatre smiled. "Easy, Duo. I don't think Heero is used to you talking yet. Not in that speed."  
  
Duo just smiled. "So, you didn't tell me yesterday that you knew Quatre. Heero."  
  
"You didn't ask."  
  
"Well, then I'll ask. Anybody else besides me, Quatre and Trowa you have talked to?"  
  
Quatre patted Trowa on the shoulder. "Technically, Heero haven't spoken to Trowa yet. They've just nodded."  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. "Great. Two silent guys in the troop. Whoopee."  
  
Heero interrupted. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What troop?"  
  
Duo smiled. "Oh, right. I was gonna tell you when we play basketball later. But I can tell you the name." Duo grabbed Trowa and Quatre around the shoulders and pulled them close towards himself.  
  
"This," he stated. "Is the troop of fallen angels. Well, us three plus Wuffie and Hilde, but Hilde is more like a... Well, she's just there, unlike Wu-man who's never there."  
  
"I've told you, Maxwell, the name is Wufei!"  
  
Duo sweat dropped and turned his head in the direction of the voice. The voice belonged to a very irritated Chinese boy, which at the moment was on his way towards Duo. Reaching for Duo's braid, Duo screeched and jumped out of reach. The angry Chinese just growled and stepped towards Quatre instead. Quatre smiled.  
  
"And this is Wufei, the last of the fallen angel. Known by Duo as Wuffie and Wu-bear."  
  
"Don't forget Wu-man!"  
  
"Shut it, Maxwell or that braid of your is coming of!"  
  
Heero smiled. This was madness. He had been here for two days and he'd already gotten too know the craziest people at the school. Always smiling Quatre, tall silent Trowa, always jabbering Duo and a ill temperate Chinese named Wufei. They were obviously some sort of group and called themselves 'Fallen Angels'. And Heero couldn't help himself from liking everything. Without knowing why he burst into laughter and had to sit down on the ground.  
  
Duo walked over to him and lied a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, man?" Heero couldn't answer. He just laughed and laughed. Duo frowned towards the Chinese.  
  
"Great job, Wuffie. His second day on school and you've already driven him into madness. That's a new record."  
  
Heero dried away the tears in his eyes and got up onto his feat again. "Gomen, folks. I-I don't know what came over me."  
  
Duo grinned. "But it felt good, didn't it?" Heero nodded and smiled.  
  
"So, what about that group of yours. 'Fallen Angels'?"  
  
Duo smiled. "I'll tell you later, Hee-chan. Right now, we got to get to class 'cause I've promised myself that this year I won't be late to class more than three times."  
  
"Three times a year?"  
  
Duo shook his head and grinned. "Three times a day."  
  
With that, Heero burst out in laugher again.  
  
***  
  
The first class of the day was History and the only person he knew in that class was the person he'd prefer to avoid for the rest of the semester. But no such luck. Relena, on the other hand, was very pleased to see him and placed herself on the available space next to him.  
  
While Heero tried to focus on the lessons given from the teacher, Relena was busy talking with him.  
  
"How do you like it here so far, Heero?"  
  
"Hn, it's okay."  
  
Fluttering heavy marked eyelashes towards him, she purred; "Anybody you've met that have caught your fancy?"  
  
Heero smiled. "Actually I have, but I don't 'fancy' that person. At least not like that."  
  
Oh." Relena looked at him. "Who?"  
  
Heero shook his head as a black clothed tornado by the name of Duo Maxwell appeared inside of his head. "Just some guy named Duo. He's really interesting."  
  
When she heard the name, Relena frowned. "Duo Maxwell. Calls himself Shinigami?"  
  
Heero nodded, not really paying attention to her expressions.  
  
"You should stay away from him. He's no good. A real troublemaker."  
  
"Well, he doesn't seem like a troublemaker to me. He's more of a goof-bal than a troublemaker."  
  
Relena shook her head and grabbed Heero's hand, squeezing it hard. Heero tried to pull it free, but Relena had it pinched between her hands to hard.  
  
"Heero, you shouldn't hang out with him. Really. I say this for your own good."  
  
Heero looked at her before he was able too free his hand from Relena's grasp. "Why? What are you talking about. Why shouldn't I hang out with him. He seems nice."  
  
"But you don't know him, Heero. He's not like you think."  
  
Heero turned away from her. He wasn't planning on taking any orders from a girl like that. "I'm sure I'll survive if I hang out with him. I'm sure I won't die if he looks or touches me."  
  
Relena bit her lip, not wanting her newest attraction to get in the hands of Duo Maxwell. "Maybe not, but he will surly hit on you."  
  
Heero slowly turned. "What?"  
  
"He will hit on you. You know, flirt and stuff."  
  
"He's-?"  
  
Relena nodded. Heero thought for a moment. Then he replied. "I don' believe you."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"He don't believe you, Darlian. I don't know what you have against this guy, but I've met him two or three times and he hasn't done anything. I was even alone with him yesterday. So just, mind your own business!"  
  
And with that, he completely shut the girl out from his head.  
  
***  
  
The rest of the day, he used to avoid Relena and talk with Quatre. Quatre and Heero had the same biology, art and English lesions, while he and Trowa shared Literature and physics. He had yet do discover if he shared any classes with Wufei. He knew that, along with himself and Trowa, Duo attended the literature lesions, but that was the only class he knew that Duo had. He still hadn't attended any music, physiology and gymnastic or math lessons and he hoped that Relena would stay away from them. But more he hoped that Duo would attend at least one of them.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Part three done. *Phew* At last. I was really unsure how to end it, so finally I just... Ended it. Now, what do you think? Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	4. Revealed secrets

New Hope Home  
  
New chapter, new chapter! Yay, I'm so proud of myself. Well, I won't say anything about this chapter. Just read it.  
  
***  
  
"Revealed secrets:"  
  
The clock was slowly ticking it's way towards it's ultimate destination and Heero wished that the final lesson could just end. In his opinion, the clock couldn't tic it's way towards three o'clock fast enough. The rage after Relena's earlier speech was still burning inside of him, but luckily he hadn't seen her any more this day.  
  
The teacher had suddenly stopped talking and everybody was on their way out. Heero quickly packed his things down in the bag and headed for the door, when-  
  
"Mr. Yuy? If you're not in a hurry, I would like a word with you."  
  
Silently cursing the teacher, he turned. "I'm kind off in a hurry, but I got a minute or two, Mr. Khushrenada."  
  
Mr. Khushrenada nodded and Heero walked towards his desk.  
  
"You seemed like you've become very comfortable here already, Mr. Yuy. I saw you this morning with some of our students. You seemed like you had a good time."  
  
Blushing, Heero thought about his earlier outburst. "Yeah. They were really friendly with me yesterday, and I think they could become great friends."  
  
Mr. Khushrenada nodded again and smiled. "That's good. Now, I wanted to go through your work plan for the year. It seems like some of your classes is crashing and I principal Une would like for you to straight it up as quick as possible. Now, we still have some offers left for you to pick and-"  
  
Heero just wanted to bang his head in the desk. This was going to take a long time.  
  
***  
  
Half an hour late for his meeting with Duo, Heero run towards the field, praying that the long haired teen would still be there. Turning the last corner he smiled as his gaze landed on the filed.  
  
Leaned against one of the goal posts, a black clothed teen was reading a book, his foot gently placed on a basketball.  
  
Running onto the field, Heero stopped in front of the ten, panting.  
  
"Sorry that I'm late, Duo. Mr. Khushrenada needed a word with me."  
  
Duo smiled and closed the book. "Old Treize, huh? He surely can make a minute seem like an hour. In that chase, you're forgiven. You've already suffered for your late-coming."  
  
Heero smiled and dropped his bag outside of the field.  
  
"I had detention with him once. The worst day of my life." Coughing, Duo dropped the book into his bag. "Well, one of my worst days. Catch!" Picking up the ball and throwing it towards Heero, he smiled. Heero reacted quickly and caught the ball, quickly passing it back again. Duo's smile became wider as he caught the ball and started to bounce it on the ground.  
  
"Good reflects. Played much were you used to live?"  
  
Heero nodded and snatched the ball. Turning, he passed it towards the hoop. The ball bounced of the plate and fell trough the ring. Smirking, he turned towards Duo again. Duo whistled, obviously impressed.  
  
"Maybe you can give me some challenge, then." Heero took of his jacked, only wearing jeans and a green tank top. Stripping of his watch as well, he turned towards Duo. "Bring it on, Maxwell."  
  
Pealing of his own leather jacked, Duo's clothing was reduced to black jeans and a black t-shirt. Taking of his silver cross, Duo kissed it before he lied it in his pocked. His watch, on the other hand, remained on his wrist. Duo picked up the ball and bounced it once towards the ground.  
  
"Okay, but I won't go easy on you, buddy. Basketball is my game."  
  
***  
  
Two and a half our later, the two teen were sitting on the stands, panting and sweaty. Duo ran his hand trough his bangs and smiled.  
  
"Man. Don't think anybody has given me a challenge like that for a long time. You almost whopped my ass."  
  
Heero smiled and used his jacked to dry away some sweat from his forehead. "I only lost with about three or four points. If you hadn't insisted on quitting the game, I would have nailed you."  
  
Duo laughed. "In your dreams maybe, buddy. I chose to quit now before it become to embarrassing for you."  
  
Nudging Duo with his shoe, Heero laughed. He couldn't remember the last time he had so much fun, or a work out like that.  
  
Taking a swig from his water bottle, Duo passed it to Heero. "You want some?"  
  
Heero nodded and took it. As he drunk from the bottle, he remembered Relena's earlier words. He wondered if Duo knew about those rumors.  
  
"Say, Duo? Do you now a girl named Relena?"  
  
"Princess Pink? I know her. She hates my guts. Her ultimate goals is to be the queen of the world, then paint it pink and watch me die from the sign."  
  
"Why does she has so much against you?"  
  
Duo reached for the water bottle and let cold surface of the bottle cool down his forehead. "I'm not sure, actually. I know I insulted her dress once, but that's the only thing I've ever done towards her. At least the only thing I can remember."  
  
Heero nodded. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Hn, it was something she said about you when I told her I'd met you."  
  
"Oh, yeah? What?"  
  
Heero leaned back onto the stands, letting the breeze blow over his flushed skin. "That you were no good and was not like you seemed. And if I were alone with you, you would hit on me and stuff. Basically, she kept nagging on that you were gay."  
  
With that, Duo let his hand down and became quiet. Heero go back up and looked at the teen.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I was hoping I could tell you first, but she just had to come and destroy everything. Fucking bitch."  
  
Heero raised an eyebrow. "So you are-?"  
  
Blowing, Duo looked away. "Yes, I am gay. I was going to tell you later during our match, but it just slipped my mind."  
  
Running his hand trough his bangs again, Duo got up and walked towards his bag. Heero just sat there, thinking. He didn't notice that the braided teen was walking away. Luckily, Duo wasn't quite ready to leave.  
  
"Sorry that my sexual preferences is annoying you, Heero. I was hoping that we could become friends. That you would be among the people that understand me and my feelings. But I guess I was wrong according to this silence."  
  
Heero snapped his head up and looked at Duo. "Don't go."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Heero got up and run towards the teen. "Don't go. I... I didn't mean to become so distance. I... I was just thinking."  
  
Scratching his head, Heero looked at the slightly confused teen. "Duo, I'm not disturbed by your sexual preferences. I couldn't care less, 'cause your still a really, really nice guy, and I would love to be your friend."  
  
Duo's heart shaped face once again broke into a gigantic smile, a smile that warmed Heero. "Really?"  
  
"Hai. Besides, I couldn't let you leave without telling me about that troop of yours." Duo nodded and they walked back to the stands. Sitting down, Duo smiled.  
  
"My troop of 'Fallen Angels'. Just like every other school, this school has their groups. Too bad there is one group that almost every guy on this school is member of. It's the people that has something against gay people. When I started here, I came out immediately, 'cause I wanted to sort out real friends and just 5-minute friends. The result? Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, Hilde and Trowa's sister Catherine. Wufei's girlfriend Meilan was also a member of your little group, but she and her parents moved back to China. Wufei didn't take that so well."  
  
Coughing, Duo scratched the tip of his nose before he continued. "The reason I call them 'Fallen Angels' is because they are angels. Really nice angels, but I've dragged them down in the mud with me. The homophobes on the school is picking on them just as much as they are picking on me, just because they are my friends. But my little troop is also the only safe place for people to come out. Quatre did almost at the same time as me, but just among the lot of us. And Trowa told us that he was bisexual just last year. I've told them to keep it secret so they won't be bothered as much as me."  
  
Heero nodded. "Peple like that belong in kindergarten. And the guys is always worst when it comes to that."  
  
Duo smiled. "Sounds like you know what we're going trough. Are you-?"  
  
Heero lifted his shoulder. "Don't know. I haven't met any special people that has brought out any type of feelings in me. Nor girl or boy. So I don't know."  
  
Duo nodded. "I've always known. Well, at least since secondary school. I fell in love with a guy there that beat the crap out of me when he learned that I was gay. He was also my best friend."  
  
Heero snorted. "Some best friend."  
  
"But as Relena said, I'm not what I seem to be. I'm stuffed with surprises."  
  
"Wanna share some more of them?"  
  
Duo laughed. "I would love to, but it's time for me to go home."  
  
Heero nodded and Duo got onto his feet. Grabbing his bag, he waived towards Heero and headed for the gate.  
  
"Duo?" Turning, Duo faced Heero. "What?"  
  
"How much does it cost to become a 'Fallen Angel'?  
  
Duo smiled. "For you, my friend, it will only cost you your reputation and for free I will add a couple of bullies."  
  
Heero laughed. "I'm sure it's worth the price. Count me in."  
  
Duo grinned before he gave him the thumps up. Heero waived and watched as Duo disappeared down the street.  
  
''Fallen Angel', huh?' he thought. 'I think I'll fit nice in that troop.'  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Hehe, can anybody just picture Treize as a teacher? I know I can. Now, what do you think? Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	5. Back off!

New Hope Home  
  
New chapter, new chapter! Yay, I'm so proud of myself. It's just a little conversation between Heero and his father when he figure out that he's made friends with the gay group on the school. Enjoy.:)  
  
***  
  
"Back off!":   
  
When Heero got home that day, he felt honored. Duo hardly knew him, but still he trusted him enough to tell him that he was gay. And Heero had told the truth when he said that he wasn't uncomfortable with it. Just because Duo was gay didn't mean that he would hit on him. He hadn't done anything 'till now and if he did, Heero could just tell him if he didn't like it. Personally, he didn't understand why people made such a big fuss about it. Gay people were people too. They still had feelings.   
  
When Heero showered to clean himself off after the game between him and Duo, he could still remember the face Duo made when he told Heero that he was gay. When he didn't reply, Duo had looked so hurt and defeated. Heero could just imagine how Duo must have been teased and bullied with for almost three years on college, and God knows for how long in high school and secondary school. Heero though Duo was very brave to have such a burden on his shoulder. Not the burden of being gay, but the burden of being teased and ridiculed in front of everybody.   
  
Drying himself off, he slipped on a pair of silver colored boxes, jeans and a t-shirt. Settling with running a hand trough his hair, he walked into his room and turned on the computer to start his homework.  
  
When he picked up his physics' book and work plan, he noticed that he'd gotten a message on his phone. Looking a little puzzled, he opened the message, then smiled. It was from Duo.   
  
Yo, Heero! Great game today, ne? I still think that I was being too kind with your sorry little ass.;) But anyway, me and the rest of our troop is going out for pizza later today. I know, I know, it's in the middle of the week, sue me! But do you wanna come anyway? Beep me soon. –Shinigami'   
  
Smiling, Heero quickly typed a reply. He wasn't very fond of im'ing people, but it could come in handy sometimes.   
  
'Baka, I whipped your ass. But the pizza offer sounds great. I'll ask my guardians. When is it? -Heero'   
  
Sending the messaged, he decided to read over his work plan while he waited for the reply. He needed to quit either History or math. Deciding that he needed math more than history, and that he would get away from Relena in math class, he crossed out history. A little beep from his bed caught his attention and he opened the new message.   
  
'You wish, Yuy. We're meeting up outside the school at 7. Can you make it? –Shinigami'   
  
Heero chewed on his lower lip. Pizza at 7 sounded great, but his father was very keen on having him around for dinner. Dinner time was a usual family get together for the Yuy's and a time to share the day with the others. If he asked if he could go, his father would ask all sorts of questions about his new friends. Not that he was ashamed over them. It was just that his father was the worlds biggest homo-phoebe.   
  
Sighing, he decided that it was worth it.   
  
'I'll ask. I'll beep you back in a moment.'   
  
Running down the stairs, Heero headed for his father's office. Gently knocking on the door, he waited of his father to reply.   
  
"Enter."   
  
'Gees,' Heero thought while he opened the door. 'He sounds like a general or something.'   
  
"Ah, Heero. Come in. Is there something on your mind, son?"   
  
Heero looked at his father and coughed. "I was just wondering… A couple of guys I met yesterday wondered if I could met them at 7 for some pizza. Can I go?"   
  
Mr. Yuy thought for a moment. "What kind of 'guys' is it?"   
  
Heero lighted up. "They are really nice guys. I don't know them that well yet, but I've got the impression that the lot of them is nice and decent. No trouble makers. Just goof-balls."   
  
Mr. Yuy smiled. "Goof-balls, eh? It would do you good to loosen up a little bit. But are you finished with your home work and your work plan?"   
  
"Almost."   
  
"Then I don't see any harm in you going. But be back by 10. You still have school tomorrow."   
  
Heero smiled and nodded, before he ran back up. Grabbing his cell-phone, he noticed a new messaged. He opened it.   
  
'Yo, buddy. Change of plans. We're still gong out for pizza at 7, but we're not meeting up outside the school. I'm picking up Quatre and we'll met Wufei and Trowa at the pizza place. If you wanna, Quatre and I will stop by your place. Remember, I know where you live.;) –Shinigami'   
  
Change of plans, huh. No problem. Typing his reply, Heero started to look really forward towards this get-together.   
  
'No problem, Duo. You can stop by my place, because I don't know where the pizza place is. See you later then.'   
  
Throwing his cell-phone onto the bed, Heero started to do his homework. Not long after, a new beep was heard.   
  
'Okay. We'll stop by around 6:30. See you then.'   
  
Heero glanced at his watch. 4:24. Plenty of time to finish his homework. Just as he begun typing on his computer again, it struck him. Quatre and Duo were coming here. His father would certainly open the door. Quatre would go unharmed past, but Duo. The leather jacked itself would be enough to make his father frown, but when he saw the braid. Swallowing, Heero thought about the lecture about fags and bad guys he would get when he got home.   
  
***   
  
*dingdong*   
  
"I'll get it!"   
  
Heero grabbed his jacket, wallet and phone, ran down the stairs, nearly tripping at one point, and headed towards the hall. Only to see his father reaching towards the door handle.   
  
"My, Heero. I would like to see the fellows your meeting up with, before you leave." Opening the door, Mr. Yuy was greeted by two smiling faces. One belonged to a small, blond teen with blue eyes, dressed in a pink shirt, purple vest and brown pants. The other smile was plastered in a hearts-shaped face along with two big cobalt blue eyes. Brown messy bangs hung down the guys eyes and a long braid hung over his leather cloth shoulder.   
  
Quatre and Duo.   
  
Mr. Yuy smiled, but Heero saw the emotions that played across the mans face. He could see how his eyes scanned over the leather clothed figure in front of him, stopping at his braid. "You must be Heero's friends."   
  
Quatre reached out his hand. "Nice meting you, Mr. Yuy." Mr. Yuy shook his hand and looked at Duo. Duo reached out his hand as well, but Mr. Yuy ignored it. Duo shrugged, but still smiled. "Hi, Mr. Yuy. Is Heero there?" Mr. Yuy nodded and Heero approached.   
  
"Hi guys." Taking a step, Heero felt his fathers hand on his shoulder. Smiling carefully towards the two teens, he swallowed.   
  
"Can you wait beside the gate for a moment? I won't be long."   
  
"Sure thing, man. Nice meting ya, Mr. Yuy." Duo nodded and walked down along with Quatre. Heero turned. Mr. Yuy looked at the Duo's back as he walked.   
  
"Is……… Is that black clothed guy one of your friends as well?"   
  
Heero nodded. "Yes. His name is Duo."   
  
Mr. Yuy frowned. "That boy has written trouble all over him. Dressed in black. What is he, a Goth or something? And that braid."   
  
Heero glared as his father. "Duo is not a Goth. He doesn't have a dark spot on him. He his really nice and cheerful all the time. He just likes the color black."   
  
"But that braid! Is he…a queer of some kind?"   
  
Heero turned. "What if he is? And what do you mean by that? 'Off some kind'?"   
  
Mr. Yuy's face darkened and he roughly turned his son around. "I will not have you mangling with those kinds of people. What about the blonde? Is he a queer too? Surely with THAT shirt."   
  
Releasing himself from his fathers grasp, Heero frowned. "What if they are?! They're nice. Nicer that anyone else I've met! And they're not trouble!"   
  
Mr. Yuy closed the door and pushed his son into the wall. "What? Have you beamed yourself towards all the queers on that school?! I know what I mean about those kinds of people. Are they hitting on you? You know that the only thing they want is something up their rear end. Bunch of cock suckers the lot of them." Suddenly, Mr. Yuy made a strange noise down I his throat. "You… You're not interested in men as well?"   
  
Heero yanked up the door and gave his father one last glare. Lowering his voice to a bare whisper, he slipped on his jacked. "What if I was? Besides, these guys are my friends. Nothing you say will make me stop hanging out with them. They are far more decant than anybody else at that fucking school! They haven't made one single move towards me, and they're not cock suckers!"   
  
With that, Heero slammed the door shut and walked down the way towards his friends. Duo looked at him.   
  
"What was that all about?" Heero smiled carefully and they started to walk.   
  
"Nothing. I was just getting some money and the usual 'When are you coming home' question. And they wanted to know your names."   
  
Quatre nodded, but Duo looked at his new friend. Something inside him told him that his dark haired friends was hiding something. After all, Duo was a master of hiding, either himself or secrets.   
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Now, what do you think? Sadly, there are many parents that react like this. I got a friend myself with parents that acted just the same. Sad, but true… Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	6. Pizza

New Hope Home  
  
New chapter, new chapter! Yay, I'm so proud of myself. Now, this chapter is going to be extreme lame. Almost so I want to slap myself. *slap* Ouch……… Well, I deserved it. This chapter is more like a bigger look up at Heero's friends. We get to know the 'Fallen Angels' a little better, both the guys and the group itself. Enjoy.:) Oh, and I would like to thank the wonderful princess2000204 for being my beta since chapter 4 off my little fic. You rock, girl.:))  
  
***  
  
"Pizza":   
  
The pizza place was a good 20 minute walk from Heero's place, not that he minded the walk. Heero enjoyed a good walk and took one every chance he could.   
  
Duo was talking merrily about nothing and everything, Quatre would nod and smile, sometimes he would say something as well, while Heero just focused on his feet. His fathers words were still ringing in his ears, and he was a little worried about what would happen when he'd get home later.   
  
"Oi, Heero? You okay?"   
  
Heero felt someone poking him on the shoulder and looked up.   
  
"We're almost there, man. You okay?" Heero nodded and smiled. "I'm fine. I'm really looking forward to this."   
  
Duo smiled and continued his jabbering. Heero looked at him and smiled. He could worry about his father later.   
  
***   
  
Outside the pizza place stood Trowa and Wufei, waiting. When they spotted them, they walked towards them with fast steps.   
  
"Finally," Wufei said. "We've been waiting for you. The clock says it is almost seven thirty!"   
  
Duo pouted and placed his hands on his hips. "Oi, what kind of a greeting is that, Wu-man?" Wufei just snarled and Trowa shook his head. Quatre smiled. "Can't we go inside? I'm hungry."   
  
Duo nodded. "Me too. It's been at least an hour since the last time I ate today." Heero giggled and Wufei sighed.   
  
"Whatever. It's better than staying out here with that braided baka." Duo threw his arm around Wufei's shoulder and kissed his check. "You know you love me, Wu-bear."   
  
"Get of me, Maxwell!" Wufei yelled and pushed the giggling teen away. Heero laughed and soon felt the weight of Duo's arm around his shoulder. Duo beamed down at him. "You, my friend, is about to taste the best pizza in the whole fucking universe. Prepare your senses, buddy, you're in for a surprise!"   
  
Heero smiled and let Duo lead him into the restaurant. Placing themselves in a stall in a corner, Duo fetched some menus and handed it to everybody. Settling himself next to Heero, he started to investigate the menu.   
  
"Hey, guys? Is there anything here I haven't tried yet?" Trowa shrugged and Quatre shook his head. "I think you've been through the whole menu."   
  
Grinning, Duo turned to Heero. "Hey, Heero? You in for a challenge?" Wufei dropped his menu and looked at Duo.   
  
"Duo, you're not planning-?"   
  
"Stuff a sock in it, will ya?"   
  
Heero put his menu down and looked at Duo. "What kind of a challenge?"   
  
"You and I'll split a large pizza. I'll order and decide what's gonna be on and you'll eat half of the pizza with me, capice?"   
  
Wufei desperately shook his head, signalizing danger for the Japanese teen. Duo grinned.   
  
"Well?"   
  
Heero smiled. "Okay, you're on."   
  
Handing Duo some money, the braided teen went over to order a possible dangerous pizza.   
  
"Oh, now you've done it!"   
  
Heero shrugged. "It's just pizza. What's the worst thing he can have on it?"   
  
Quatre giggled. "Wufei said the same thing when Duo challenged him to do the same thing."   
  
"And?"   
  
Trowa smiled. "You know how Chinese people can eat everything?" Wufei banged his head onto the table. Heero looked from Quatre to Trowa, and from Trowa to Wufei. "What was on it?"   
  
Wufei groaned. "I don't want to talk about it! I still get sick when I think about it!"   
  
Heero started to sweat. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea.   
  
Quatre looked at him and smiled reassuringly. "Maybe he'll go easy on you since he doesn't know what you're capable of yet."   
  
While Heero waited for Duo to return with the pizza, Trowa and Wufei slipped out from the stall to order for themselves and Quatre. Heero was still a bit nervous about the pizza.   
  
"Can you order anything you want on the pizza?"   
  
"If they have it, you will get it."   
  
"Surely it can't be that bad. Can it?" Quatre just shrugged and Heero swallowed. He was getting more and more nervous. The reaction from Wufei was a little disturbing. So was the faces Trowa and Quatre made. Not to mention the look on Duo's face when he challenged Heero.   
  
To soon in Heero's opinion, Duo was back with a large pizza together with Wufei and Trowa. Placing it onto the table, Duo dumped down next to Heero again and grinned. Heero looked at the pizza. It looked harmless enough. Carefully glancing up, he studied the others faces. He could see that Wufei was pouting.   
  
"Injustice, Maxwell! Why wasn't I freed from the chocolate sauce when you challenged me?"   
  
"They were out," Duo grinned and looked at Heero. "Well, dig in, buddy." Grabbing a piece himself, Duo stared to eat. Seeing no reaction from the braided teen, Heero took a piece himself. Carefully tasting, he found no immediate abnormalities on the slice and chewed off a larger piece of the slice. It tasted quite good.  
  
For a while.   
  
Feeling like somebody had poured boiling hot lava into his mouth, he gasped for air as a burning pain tore trough his tongue, mouth and throat. Duo laughed and handed Heero a glass of water. Drinking greedily, Heero tried to stop the burning sensation in his throat and mouth.   
  
"Too hot for you?" Glaring at the black clothed teen, Heero grabbed Duo's glass of Coke and drank it up. The fire still wasn't gone, but it was better than before. "What on earth is on that pizza?" Heero managed to gasp out while he used his hand as a fan to cool down his tongue.   
  
"Chill peppers… Both green and red," he heard Wufei mutter.   
  
"Hot sauce and barbeque sauce." That was Quatre.   
  
"Hot peppers." Trowa.   
  
Duo grinned. "All that and a lot of other strong goodies." Still cooling down his mouth, Heero looked at him with a curious look. "How come you don't react with much spices on a pizza?"   
  
Wufei snorted. "That's because there isn't a thing Maxwell can't eat. He even beats the Chinese when it comes to eating anything. And his sense of taste is completely burned away. Honestly, chocolate sauce on pizza?"   
  
Heero nodded before he made a strange noise in his throat. His stomach was getting upset. Quatre handed Heero his own glass of Sprite and Heero took a big sip. Handing the glass back, he smiled. "Arigato, Quatre."   
  
"What?" Everybody looked at him.   
  
Heero smiled. "It's Japanese. It means 'Thank you'."   
  
Quatre smiled. "Oh. You're welcome, Heero."   
  
Duo whistled. "So, you're part Japanese, Hee-chan? I mean, you can see it by your looks, but I thought your parents moved here before you were born or something."   
  
Heero shook his head. "No, my parents moved to San Francisco when I was 5. My father got a job there. Then he was transferred here a month ago and we moved here."   
  
"Must be tuff leaving all your friends."   
  
Heero shrugged. "This may sound strange, but not really. I didn't have many friends. I……… I kept to myself… But the friends I had, were hard to leave. I was planning on doing the same here 'cause I didn't see the point in getting new friends when I would leave after a year anyway. But they you guys bumped into my life and shot my plan to pieces."   
  
Everybody smiled. "I'm glad we did, Heero. It's not good walking around with no friends," Quatre said.   
  
Duo nodded. "Some of us really know how lonely and painful it can get when you have nobody to turn too………"   
  
"Nani?" Duo laughed. "Slipping into your original tongue there, Hee-chan?" Slapping him on his back, he took a big swig out off Wufei's water glass, much to the Chinese teens protest, and burped. "Sorry! Anyway, let us not talk about the past. Let's talk about Hee-chan!" Gluing his eyes to Heero's, Duo grinned. "Habits, good or bad, interests, music taste, old girlfriends and favorite hobbies. Tell us all and more. We're listening."   
  
Heero looked at everybody and shook his head. "It isn't really that much to tell about me."   
  
Duo grinned. "Well, tell us anyway. We wanna know what kind of guy you are. After all, you're gonna be a 'Fallen Angel' soon."   
  
Heero snorted. "Well, I'm originally from Japan, my parents move here when I was 5. I exercise a lot, and have a black belt in karate. I just to do kick boxing, but I quit after I accidentally sent my opponent to the hospital after a match." Heero thought for a moment. "I play basketball and enjoy physical activities like running. And when it rains I enjoy a good book instead of a movie."   
  
Smirking, he looked at Duo. "And no girlfriends, old or new."   
  
Duo snorted and grinned. "Think you've got some competition, Wu-bear." Ignoring the braided teen, Heero turned to his new friends.   
  
"Tell me about yourself. Fair's fair."   
  
Quatre nodded. "I might as well start. I'm original from Arabia, and YES! I am a natural blonde. My father moved to Arabia to do some research and there he met my mother. I got 29 sisters-"   
  
"29?!" Heero looked at him. Quatre laughed. "Test tube, babies. All of them are, except me." Heero raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything more.   
  
"Anyway, I can play the violin and the piano, I enjoy reading books and taking walks. I don't do much physical activities except running now and then. Oh, and I have a cat at home named Sandrock."   
  
Duo snorted again. "No need to ask about the name, Hee-chan. You won't get an answer out of him anyway. My guess is, he was born in the sand and found on a rock."   
  
Quatre blushed, but Heero smiled. "I think it's a nice name. Special, but nice. I once had a bird named Wing."   
  
Quatre beamed and clapped his hands. "That's cool."   
  
Heero nodded and turned to Trowa. "What about you, Trowa? Anything you wanna say about yourself?"   
  
Trowa shrugged. "I don't have much to say, really. But I'm actually Latino American. I moved here when I was 10. Just like Quatre, I enjoy walks and I know how to play the flute and the piano as well. Oh, and the trumpet. I used to do gymnastics so I'm very flexible." At this point Duo snickered, but Trowa ignored him. "I've got an older sister named Catherine, she finished school 3 years ago and works at a circus now. She throws knifes. And I sometimes play basketball with Duo."   
  
Duo smiled. "Yeah, but what he's got in height and speed, he's lacking in aiming. The guys got the worst aiming in the world." Trowa blushed, but didn't say anything. Quatre did his best to suppress the giggles while he patted his friend on the back.   
  
Duo looked at Wufei and smiled. "Your turn, Wu-bear."   
  
"WuFEI!" Wufei glared at the black clothed teen, but Duo just smiled. Wufei sighed and looked at Heero. "My first name is actually Chang, but I prefer Wufei. My mother and father are from China, and we moved here when I was 6. I met Meiran here, and we got together when I was 15. We were dating for 3 years before she and her parents moved back to China."   
  
"He already knows that, Wu-man. I've already told him, just like I've told him that Quatre's gay and Trowa's bi."   
  
"Kisama, Maxwell! You have no right telling complete strangers!"   
  
Duo snorted. "He's not a stranger, is he? Not anymore, plus he has nothing against what we are so I'd say he's pretty trustable."   
  
Duo and Wufei continued their arguing and Heero moved away a little before turning to Quatre and Trowa. "I'm sorry if Duo said anything that made you feel uncomfortable. I mean, about you being bi and gay and-"   
  
Quatre just smiled. "Oh, don't worry. Duo has our blessing to tell anybody about our sexual preferences to people he thinks are trustworthy. That you're here with us and you knowing shows that you are a nice guy without scruples."   
  
Heero laughed. "I wouldn't say that." Turning to watch the fight between Duo and Wufei, he whispered; "The relationship between Duo and Wufei, it's a little tense. Are they?"   
  
Trowa leaned over and one green eye glued itself to two Prussian blue ones. "Don't mind them. They're good friends, but every time someone mentions Wufei's ex girlfriend, he gets a little upset. But he will cool off. But often it results in Wufei saying something that hurts Duo and he will leave for a while too cool off."   
  
Just like Trowa said, the arguing between Duo and Wufei stopped, resulting in Duo leaving the table. Wufei snorted. "Don't mind him. He will go to the bathroom now and pout for a while before returning, grinning like the maniac he is."   
  
Heero nodded, wondering what Wufei could have said that hurt the braided teen. "Anyway," Wufei continued. "If you have any interest in it, I know how to play drums, I like to read and I'm a black belt in karate, tae-kwon-do along with ju-jitsu." A little gleam entered Wufei's eyes.   
  
"Maybe you can give me some challenge if you're interested in a little fight some time."   
  
'A-ha. So that's what Duo meant when he said that Wufei's got competition.' Heero smiled. "Maybe I am."   
  
At that moment, Duo returned, carrying two glasses of Coke. Offering one to Heero, he smiled. "Here ya go, Hee-chan."   
  
Heero took it and smiled. "Arigato, Duo."   
  
"So, has everybody introduced themselves now?" Duo asked while leaning back into the wall, taking a swig out of his Coke.   
  
Heero smirked and took a sip of his Coke. "Everybody except you."   
  
Duo chocked and coughed. "Well, there isn't much to tell about me." Heero chocked his head to one side. "But earlier today, you said you were stuffed with surprised and you promised you would share them later."   
  
Leaning closed, Heero glued his eyes to Duo's. "Or are you intending to break your motto?"   
  
Duo shook his head and Heero leaned back. "Well, what's' there to say? I'm American by birth, badass by choice and gay by preferences. I look like a bad boy, but I'm actually pretty calm. Sure, I do parties, but not often and I don't drink much. I like to stay sober so I can watch other people make fools out of themselves. But I can get drunk sometimes myself." Coughing, Duo continued. "I play basketball and I also used to attend kick boxing. I read a lot and I know how to play the guitar. And I sing a lot with Hilde. She's a good friend off mine, but she lives in another town. That's why she isn't a 'Fallen Angel'."   
  
Quatre smiled. "But you forgot to mention that you're also blessed with the voice of a God and a great talent in drawing."   
  
Duo blushed. "Come on, I'm not that good."   
  
Heero smiled, before he thought of something. "Everyone off you knows how to play an instrument. Are you some kind of band as well?"   
  
Duo grinned and clapped. "Great observation, Sherlock. Yes, we're also a band, specialized in lyrics from Linkin Park and Evanescence. But we only do Evanescence when Hilde's here. We play mostly for ourselves, but sometimes we perform in front of the school. You interested in joining us in that as well?"   
  
Heero shook his head and blushed. "I don't know how to play any instrument and I'm not a very talented singer."   
  
Duo clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, I can teach you how to play the guitar. We kneed another guitar player."   
  
"I don't know."   
  
Quatre snapped his fingers. "I know. We're having band practice this weekend, right? Heero can come to my place and hear us. If he's interested, he can join us."   
  
Duo grinned and blew Quatre a kiss. "Q-man, you're a genie. What do you say, Hee-chan? Sounds like a plan, ne?"   
  
Heero beamed and nodded. "Yeah, why not. Could be fun."   
  
"Great!" Duo glomped his friend before he glanced at the watch hanging at the wall. "Christ, it's late. We better break up now, and head home."   
  
Quatre coughed. "Speaking of home, Duo. Shouldn't you-?"   
  
"Not now, Quatre," Duo snapped, before he bounced out of the stall.   
  
"Ready to go, everybody?" Everybody nodded and they walked out of the pizza place. Heero and Duo started walking towards Heero's place, when Duo turned.   
  
"Oi, Quatre! You coming?" Quatre shook his head. "No, I'm following Trowa home. I forgot my English book there."   
  
Duo smirked. "Yeah sure. Well, G'night anyway." Waving, everybody turned to walk in their direction. Quatre yelled 'Good Night' after them, Trowa was silence and Wufei merely grunted. Duo turned towards the slighter shorter teen and smiled.   
  
"Guess it's just you and me. Hope you don't mind." Heero shook his head. "Not at all."   
  
They walked together, talking about different interests and they figured out that they had a lot in common, due to their differences. They liked the same food and had the same taste in movies. None of them were particularly fond of romance and drama movies nor books, but preferred a good horror or comedy film. Their book tastes are slightly different. While Heero enjoyed the old classical books, Duo was more fond off horror and fantasy books. Their music taste are completely different. Unlike other teens at his age, Heero enjoyed the old classical masters, while Duo liked heavy metal and rock, bands like Linkin Park, which Heero admitted are a pretty good band, and Papa Roach. But he admitted that he had a soft spot for old Irish melodies and Celtic songs.   
  
After finding out a new amount of stuff about each other, they walked a little while in silence. Duo was the one to break the silence. "You scared about going home, Heero?"   
  
Heero jerked his head up and looked at Duo. "Why should I be?"   
  
Duo shrugged. "I know you fought with your dad before we left. I saw it before he yanked the door shut."  
  
"Oh." Heero lowered his head.   
  
"Was it because off me and Quatre?" Heero sighed and nodded. "My dad has certain issues when it comes to people. He judges them before he gets to know them. Your leather jacked was enough to convince him that you're a bad guy. And when he saw your braid………"   
  
Duo nodded. "I'm sorry."   
  
Heero shook his head. "Don't be. It's not your fault. My father just happens to be the biggest homophobe in the whole fucking world."   
  
Smiling, he turned towards the black clothed teen. "But I don't care what he says. You guys are much nicer that anyone else I've talked too."   
  
Duo laughed. "Thought you hadn't talked with anyone yet, except me and the guys."   
  
Heero snorted. "Yeah, but according to what you've said, the other people at school are jerks. I'd much rather hang out with you guys."   
  
Duo just beamed. When he'd said good bye to the black clothed teen, Heero walked into his house. Everything was quiet. He figured that his father was in his office and his mother in the kitchen. Silently he walked up the stairs to his room when a soft voice called his name. Turning, he saw his mother at the bottom of the stairs.   
  
"Mother…" Mrs. Yuy smiled a sad smile.   
  
"Don't mind your father, Heero. You know what he thinks about homosexuals. He's just afraid that you'd do something you might regret. But he loves you anyway, just like me."   
  
Heero nodded. "I know. I just wish he would wake up. We're in America now. They don't have the same issues here like they have in Japan."   
  
And with that he turned and walked to his room. Half an hour later, Heero was in his bed, ready to go to sleep. He thought about his father, then about Duo. Sighing, he figured that this could be difficult. Duo was a great guy, but his father thought something else. What could he do. He could hang out with Duo at school, but if he disobeyed with his fathers wishes, he would get the silence treatment.   
  
A small beep from the pocket of his pants caught his attention. Stepping out of bed, he grabbed his cell phone and lied down on the bed. It was a message. Opening it, he smiled as a certain warmth flowed through his body.   
  
'Night, night, Hee-chan. Don't let the old geezer get to ya. Remember, the 'Fallen Angels' are here for you if you need anything. –Shinigami'   
  
Smiling, he dropped the phone onto the table next to his bed and closed his eyes. Maybe the silence treatment was worth it, as long as he could hang out with the 'Fallen Angels'.   
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Now, what do you think? I'm finished. It's a little lame, but I just had to do something so Heero could get to know the guys. Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	7. Sing, baby, sing

New Hope Home   
  
New chapter, new chapter! Yay, I'm so proud of myself. Now, some Relena bashing and lot's of other meaningless stuff. Just trying to make the story flow so I can get some good boyxboy action.;)   
  
***   
  
"Sing, baby sing":   
  
When Heero's alarm clock waked him up that day, he just wanted to shut it up and throw it into the wall. Thanks to the pizza he had had last night, he had gotten an upset stomach and had frequently visited the bathroom that night.   
  
Still dead tired, he managed to stumble out of bed and into the bathroom to get dressed. After dropping his hairbrush three times and almost tearing down the whole bathroom in the search for his socks, he was somewhat ready for school, if not mentally, at least physically.   
  
But he was not ready for the silence that appeared when he entered the kitchen. The same second he walked into the room, his fathers eyes glued themselves to Heero's, glaring at the younger boy. He couldn't stand the silence. He had to get out.   
  
Grabbing and apple, he walked back out. His mother didn't say anything about his 'breakfast', so Heero guessed that as long as his father gave him the silence treatment, she would do it too. At least when Mr. Yuy was around.   
  
Slipping the shoes onto his feet, Heero grabbed his jacket, slipped it on and left the house after grabbing his bag. It was still half an hour 'til school started, the walk didn't take more that 10 minutes so Heero just walked around eating his apple.   
  
Something he wish he didn't do.   
  
"Heero!"   
  
Heero turned when he heard his name and was meet by a horrid sight. A mass of pink and make-up was running towards him, and Heero's immediate reaction was to turn and run away like he had Death itself on his back. But he knew it was to late. The beast had spotted it's pray and was coming his way.   
  
Relena waived and threw herself around Heero's left arm, making him drop his apple. Heero tried to yank it free, but the girl was glued stuck.   
  
"Heero! It's so nice to see you again. I haven't been able to talk to you since yesterday. Why haven't you called me?"   
  
Heero sighed. "Was I suppose too? I haven't felt like talking to you or hanging out with you."   
  
Relena laughed. "You've lost my number haven't you?"   
  
My God. Did nothing penetrate that thick scull of hers? Heero suddenly remembered reading about some types of snakes and lizards that dropped a part of their tale when captured or threatened by beast of prey, and briefly wondered if he could survive without his left arm if he could rip it off somehow, just so he could get away from the pink nightmare.   
  
But no offering of an arm was necessary that day as a blonde angel came to his rescue.   
  
"Hi Heero." Relena turned and glared at the young blonde. Quatre just gulped. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were taken."   
  
Heero saw his chance and yanked his arm free. "Not at all, Quatre. Wanna walk with us?"   
  
Relena glared at the youngest Winner child and made a quick grope down here pink purse. "I forgot, Heero, but I promised Dorothy that I would stop by her today. Talk to you later."   
  
And with that, she hurried down the street in the opposite direction. Heero let out a breath of pure relief and turned to Quatre who was blushing. "Thank you, Quatre. I thought my last moment had come."   
  
Quatre smiled. "Well, for next time, remember that my mere presence is enough to drive Darlian away." They walked together towards the school and Heero was looking at Quatre all the way.   
  
"She doesn't like you very much, does she." Quatre shook his head. "She doesn't like any of the 'Fallen Angels'. Everyone of us has something she doesn't like. In my case, she's jealous 'cause my family has more money than hers. But it's not like it's my money, it's my fathers. I can't touch any of it!"   
  
Heero laughed. Quatre smiled and continued. "Trowa she dislikes because he doesn't talk to her, but then again, he barley talks to anybody. She hates Wufei because he's ignoring her. She's a sucker of attention. If she's not in the spotlight, she will hate the person that is. And that's why she hates Duo. Because he's always in everybody's spotlight."   
  
"I thought he said that everybody disliked you guys."   
  
Quatre sighed. "Well, not everybody. It's just the players on the different sports teams at the school. But I guess that narrows it down to just about everybody. Duo's one of the star players on the basketball team. He's great on the field, but when it's time to hit the showers, he backs away. He always showers after everybody else. He says he gets nightmares of all the ugly butts in there."   
  
Heero snickered. Quatre giggled as well, before he continued. "But he really does it so he won't make any of the guys feel uncomfortable. He's tired of getting looks from the other guys. Scared looks like he's gonna jump them and rape them as soon as they have their backs to him."   
  
Heero sighed. "I can imagine that it must be hard. I thought people would grow up from that stage when they believe that every gay man would attack their ass."   
  
Quatre nodded. "I'm glad that Duo told me not to come out to the school, yet I feel guilty letting Duo handle all the burden by himself."   
  
Heero smiled. "As long as he has friends he can count on, I'm sure he'll manage. After all, I've only known him for three days and I've already gotten a pretty good look at the strength he possesses mentally."   
  
Quatre laughed. "Yes, he is strong mentally because he's been through so much."   
  
"Huh?" Heero looked at him, curious about the secrets that Duo obviously was hiding. Quatre blushed. "I shouldn't say anything else. It's better if Duo tells you himself."   
  
"What? Is it something serious? Has he an unknown disease or something?"   
  
"Well…" Quatre struggled with the words before he just clamped his mouth shut. "It's nothing serious, but it will surprise you. And Duo won't tell you yet, because he doesn't want you to be his friend out of pity."   
  
Heero was starting to get more and more confused. Duo was getting more and more complicated. And he was getting more and more curious.   
  
***   
  
Two hours of biology passed by and the two math lessons ended quickly and in no time, it was already lunch. There had been no sign of Relena during that period, so Heero decided that the day was turning out pretty well. The only things left were two hours of music and an hour of literature, then he would be free to do as he pleased. Maybe he'd go for a run. It was a pretty nice day after all. Maybe Quatre would join him as well.   
  
Settling down by an empty table, he sipped on his usual coffee and nibbled on a scone.   
  
"Mind if I join ya?" Looking up, Heero smiled.   
  
"Knock yourself out, Duo," he grinned. Duo just laughed and settled himself down at the other side of the table. "No, thank you. It hurts so much to knock yourself out, so I'll just settle myself down here."   
  
Heero shook his head and took a sip out off his coffee. Duo wrinkled his nose. "You call that lunch?"   
  
Heero glared at his braided friend. "Yes. It's all I need to get through the day." Duo just shrugged and opened his bag, taking out a couple of sandwiches covered with paper. Heero lifted an eyebrow. "Thought bringing your own lunch was out of the question when you're at college."   
  
Duo pouted. "Well, I can't afford to buy myself food everyday. Besides, it fills my stomach and that's what's important."   
  
Heero snickered. "You always think with your stomach?" Duo grinned and stuck out his tongue. "Always." Heero studied the braided teen as he finished his lunch, sipping his coffee every now and then. In practically no time, the sandwiches were gone. Still not satisfied, Duo studied Heero's scone. "You gonna eat that?"   
  
Heero looked down at his scone, then back at Duo. "You want it?"   
  
Duo grinned. "Sure. If I can have it." Heero pushed the scone towards Duo who happily took it. While he ate his scone, Duo was talking merrily. "So, what class do you have next?"   
  
"Music lessons," Heero muttered, not really remembering why he had signed up for that class.   
  
Duo grinned. "Great. Then we can hook up with the rest." Heero looked up. "You all have music lessons?"   
  
Duo nodded and finished his scone. "Yup. That's the only class the lot of us have together." Heero smiled. Maybe music lessons wouldn't be so bad after all. And he would finally hear the voice Quatre had talked so warmly about yesterday. Duo's grin became wider as he fished up a water bottle from his bag and drank from it.   
  
"You're gonna love the teacher there. Her name is Noin and she's really musical."   
  
Heero looked at Duo and finished his coffee. "Lucretzia Noin? I have her in art lessons. She's nice."   
  
Duo stared at him. "You have art lessons? Damn. I missed the lesson this week 'cause principal Une wanted to see me about the basketball team."   
  
"You have art lessons as well?" Duo grinned. "Sure. Remember that Quatre told ya I was a master with the pencil yesterday?" Heero mentally slapped himself. How could he forget? Blushing, he nodded and Duo smiled. "Well, if I am as good as Quatre says, I better put my talents in some use. Besides, I love to draw."   
  
Studying the Japanese teen, Duo scratched his nose. "How 'bout you, Hee-chan? Why'd you choose art lessons?"   
  
Heero blushed and turned away. "I just like art. I'm not a very talented drawer, but I manage to draw a little better than just a stick man."   
  
Duo laughed. "How about the good ol' Mexican bicyclist seen from above?" Heero snorted. "Well, I can draw that too."   
  
Duo grinned. "Well, if you can do that, you're better than some off the guy's and girl's in the class. Some of them can't even draw a line without a ruler." Heero laughed.   
  
Duo checked his watch. "Time to go, Heero-buddy, Music's next." Grabbing Heero's hand, he guided them towards the music room. A couple of guys was looking at them, some were even pointing, but Heero didn't care. All he could focus on was Duo's braid, which was swinging from side to side in front of his black clothed backside, and the warm tingling as Duo squeezed his hand. He liked the feeling.   
  
When they stopped he didn't notice, 'cause his eyes were glued to Duo's braid, and it made him walk straight into the teen. "Oi, watch it, Hee-chan."   
  
Duo spun him around and dropped his hand. Heero blushed. "Gomen, Duo."   
  
Duo looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Go? What'd yea say?"   
  
Heero looked down and cursed the red color that seemed to be stuck on his face. "It's Japanese. It means 'sorry'." Duo grinned. "Ah, okay. That's cool." He then turned and knocked on the door. Heero looked at him. Why wasn't he walking in?   
  
A voice was heard and Duo grabbed Heero's hand again. "Come on. The class's already inside." Dragging him inside, Duo placed him in a chair next to Quatre, and then bowed to the woman in front off him.   
  
"Good morning, Noin. You look absolutely dashing today." Noin smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "Flatter will get you nowhere, Maxwell. You've still got a mark for missing your art lesson."   
  
Pouting, Duo pretended to be hurt and sat down next to Heero. Quatre had to suppress his laugh and made funny snorting noises. He didn't stop until Wufei nudges his ribs. "Stop that, Winner. You're making a fool out of yourself," he hissed and Quatre slowly calmed down.   
  
Noin nodded and opened her mouth to say something when the classroom door swung open. Into the classroom came two girls. One of them Heero recognized as his worst nightmare, Relena Darlian. The other one seemed to be evil herself because of her forked eyebrows. Both were dressed in a pink dress, but the strength of the color was very different. Hearing the short intact of breath on his left side, he looked at Quatre, who had gone very pale.   
  
"No," he whimpered. "Not her. I thought she finished music last year."   
  
Turning towards Duo, Heero saw that he stared at the two girls with a disgusted look upon the face. His eyebrows were turned down and his eyes were in a very angry version of a frown. It was very easy to see that he wasn't happy to see neither of the girls. "Who's-?" Heero started, but Duo lifted his hand to silence him.   
  
"Relena," he hissed. "And Dorothy." Turning to face the dark haired boy, he raised one eyebrow, his eyes were still dark.   
  
"The spawn of Satan himself. Shinigami's daughters. They live to make me and the rest of the guys life as miserable as possible. And Dorothy won't stop before I'm dead cold in my grave, rotting. And even then she won't leave me alone."   
  
Heero looked at Dorothy, then back at Duo. "Why-?"   
  
"Why she's got something against me? Well, Relena is against me, and everything Relena hates, Dorothy hates three times as much. Dorothy adores that pink monster. Don't ask me why." Duo nodded towards Quatre, who was now looking slightly green. "She's had a crush on Quatre ever since she met him. He turned her down once, and she almost broke his arm. The poor guy is deathly scared of her Not that I blame him."   
  
Relena spotted Heero and waived. Heero tried to disappear as far as he could into his chair, he didn't want to talk to either of the girls. And faith let him off the hook for the second time that day. As quick as Relena saw Duo, her face turned into pure anger and disgust. Turning, she dragged Dorothy into the other side of the classroom and sat down.   
  
Noin cleared her throat. "Finally, everybody's here. First off all, we have a new student here, Heero Yuy."   
  
Looking at Heero, she smiled. "Some of you might know him already, but do you want to introduce yourself to those who don't know you?"   
  
"Not really", he muttered and looked away.   
  
Noin nodded. "That's okay. Now, I was hoping that we could start this class with a bang. Duo, would you mind lending me your voice?"   
  
Duo gasped and pretended to be shocked, clinging his hands around his throat. "What? My voice? What am I gonna use then? Take your own voice!"   
  
Noin laughed. "Stop kidding around, Maxwell. I was hoping you could do a little solo number and show Heero exactly how much fun we have here."   
  
Grinning, Duo got up and grabbed the nearest microphone. "Hope you brought earplugs with ya, Hee-chan," he winked before he whispered something into Noin's ear. She nodded and went to the music cabinet to switch it on. Duo cleared his throat and switched the mike on.   
  
"Right'o. Again, I've been given the privilege to start the music lessons. Don't ask me why, but I'll do it anyway." Grinned and winked towards the class.   
  
"Hit it, Noin." Noin nodded and switched the music on. Soon, a fast-going melody filled the room, and Heero recognized it as a Linkin Park song. Duo closed his eyes and started to sing.   
  
//Memories consume  
  
Like opening the wound   
  
I'm picking me a part again   
  
You all assume I'm safe here in my room   
  
Unless I try to start again   
  
I don't want to be the one   
  
The battle's always choose   
  
'Cause inside I realize   
  
That I'm the one confused//   
  
Duo's soft voice filled the room, singing the lyrics perfect. Heero closed his eyes and savored the crystal clear voice. Quatre was right. The voice was pure and a gift from God himself. Cracking an eye open, he saw that Duo's body was gently swaying from side to side, moving with the rhythm. His eyes were still closed and he was completely caught up with the song.   
  
//I don't know what's worth fighting for   
  
Or why I have to scream   
  
I don't know why I instigate   
  
And say what I don't mean   
  
I don't know how I got this way   
  
I know it's not alright   
  
So I'm Breaking the habit Tonight//   
  
Admiring the black clothed figures movement and the gentle tone in his voice, Heero could do nothing but stare. His heart was pounding in his chest, and even though the music was fast and obviously, a rock song, it was the most beautiful song he'd ever heard.   
  
// Clutching my cure   
  
I tightly lock the door   
  
I try to catch my breath again   
  
I hurt much more   
  
Than anytime before   
  
I had no options left again   
  
I don't want to be the one   
  
The battle's always choose   
  
'Cause inside I realize   
  
That I'm the one confused//   
  
Gently glancing over on his other friends, Heero saw that their eyes were closed as well. They were obviously enjoying the song as much as he did. He carefully scanned the rest of the room and saw that everyone's eyes were closed. Everyone except Relena and Dorothy. Relena looked at Duo as if he were the biggest pile of dirt in the world, and Heero just wanted to go over there and strangle her. At least after the song was finished so he didn't miss a word of it.   
  
//I don't know what's worth fighting for   
  
Or why I have to scream   
  
I don't know why I instigate   
  
And say what I don't mean   
  
I don't know how I got this way   
  
I know it's not alright   
  
So I'm Breaking the habit Tonight//   
  
Releasing his eyes from the two girls, Heero turned to look at Duo again. He was singing the song with so much passion that he started to wonder if Duo had experienced that kind of pain. Duo's eyes were shut down tightly; his face had seriousness written all over it. Heero looked at him, studied him. What was it?   
  
//I'll paint it on the walls   
  
'Cause I'm the one at fault   
  
I'll never fight again   
  
And this is how it ends   
  
//I don't know what's worth fighting for   
  
Or why I have to scream   
  
But now I have some clarity   
  
To show you what I mean   
  
I don't know how I got this way   
  
I'll never be alright   
  
So I'm Breaking the habit   
  
Breaking the habit Tonight//   
  
Finishing his song, Duo slowly opened his eyes and grinned. "Thank you everybody. Autographs are written between three thirty and half past three." Everybody laughed and Duo sat down next to Heero again. Smiling, he ran a hand trough his bangs.   
  
"So what did you think, Hee-chan? Did you need earplugs?"   
  
Heero smiled. "It was great. I've never enjoyed a Linking Park song that much before." Duo beamed and turned his attention towards Noin. Heero did the same, but found himself wishing that he would do anything just to hear the soft velvet voice again. Anything.   
  
***   
  
Author's Notes: The silence treatment… I HATE the silence treatment. And my father is very good at giving it too me… Just as the new year started, he called me and told me it was dinner time. Now, this wasn't a fancy dinner, it was pasta, and I was with a friend at the moment, so I asked if I could eat later. He hung up on me and didn't talk to me in THREE weeks. How childish is that? Anyway, what do you think? Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	8. The God and Goddess of Death

New Hope Home  
  
New chapter, new chapter! *dances around the room before she glomps her computer* Damn, I'm on a roll lately. Maybe I'll actually get something good out off this. Now, we're very close to some HeeroxDuo love (I know, I'm saying that every time), but I just have to make some TrowaxQuatre love first.:) Now, it's going to be a little jump trough time here. I'm skipping the rest of the week and go straight to the band practice. So enjoy the chappie people.  
  
***  
  
"The God and Goddess of Death:"  
  
The rest of the week went someway painless in Heero's opinion. He'd been able to escape Relena two times when she was hunting for him, and had managed to avoid Dorothy. The girl was obviously feared around the school. Not only because of her ill temper, but also because of her twisted sense of humor. Now the weekend was upon him, and he was making himself ready to hook up with Duo and the rest. Duo was waiting for him outside; he didn't dare ring the doorbell in case Heero's father would greet him again. He had simply beeped Heero when he was outside and stayed there.  
  
Not really wanting to talk to his father that day, Heero just hurried out of his room and down the stairs to meet his friend. As he jumped down the last four steps, his mother's head peeked out from the kitchen. "You going out, Heero?"  
  
Heero nodded and slipped on his jacket. "When will you be back?"  
  
"Later," he simply muttered and bent down to find his shoes.  
  
Mrs. Yuy came out from the kitchen while drying her hands on a handkerchief. "Will you be back for dinner?"  
  
"Maybe," he answered and slipped on his shoes.  
  
Mrs. Yuy rubbed her eyes and gave a little choke, as if she was trying to suppress tears from coming. Heero sighed and turned, running his hand trough his messy bangs. "Mum, I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't… I didn't mean to sound so cold."  
  
Mrs. Yuy sniffed and smiled. "It's okay, Heero. I guess I deserved it. But I just can't stand it when you are cold towards me. You know that." Old memories from his previous life in San Francisco flashed by in his head and Heero looked down. He had a history of being cold.  
  
He walked over and hugged his mother. Feeling her arm around his shoulders, he snuggled his head towards her neck. Pulling back, he smiled. "I'll be home around dinnertime, mum. Probably before."  
  
Mrs. Yuy smiled. "Okay. Call if you'll be late, or if you want to have a friend over as well. I'll sweet talk your father." Heero nodded and walked out the door.  
  
By the front gate, he spotted a black clothed backside and he walked towards it. Covering the braided teen's eyes, he whispered; "Guess who?"  
  
Duo raised his hands into the air. "Fine! I surrender! It was me! I robbed the bank and stole candy from the kid! It was me!" Dropping to his knees, he wrapped his arms around Heero's leg and buried his face towards his thigh. "Please, don't hurt me! I didn't mean it! I'm just a poor misunderstood guy! Please, be gentle with me!"  
  
Heero bent down and nudged him with his arm and Duo looked up at him and grinned. "You ready?"  
  
Heero smirked and helped Duo up onto his feet. "Baka."  
  
Duo pouted and placed his hand on his hips. "Is that an insult?"  
  
Still smirking, Heero started walking. "As the matter of fact, it is. It's Japanese for 'Idiot'." Duo ran after him and threw his arm around his shoulder. Grinning, he messed up Heero's already untidy hair. "Just wondered, Hee-chan."  
  
Heero laughed and pushed him away.  
  
Walking down the street where Relena used to come running every time she laid her eyes on the Japanese teen, Heero looked around at the big houses in the area. Duo nodded towards a big house in a deep pinkish pastel. "Guess who lives there?" he snorted and looked away. "Gives me the creeps every time I pass it."  
  
Heero smiled and they continued walking before they stopped. Duo pointed at a fairly large villa in deep blue in front of them. "That's Q-mans house. Biggest house on the block. His family owns a big technology company as well as this big medical research center and good ol' Quatre is the heir of the whole shit. His family's got more money then they can spend in three generations." Pointing at himself, Duo smiled a weak smile. "And this poor guy's hardly got enough cash to support himself through college. If it hasn't been for my art scholarship…"  
  
Heero gently patted him on his back, and Duo grinned. "But let's not talk about cash. Let's see who's here."  
  
Duo ringed the bell Heero recognized the melody as Beethoven's fifth symphony. Duo snickered. "His dad is almost the worst snob here. He and the missus have their own bathroom connected with their bedroom. First time I visited Quatre's home, I needed to relief myself and I couldn't find the bathroom. Freaking huge building, but not one bathroom, at least not when you need it, so I accidentally dropped into his parents bedroom and made my way towards their toilet. The God damned taps are made out of gold along with the bath tub."  
  
Heero raised an eyebrow. "You're kiddin'?"  
  
Duo shook his head. "The five other bathrooms are 'normal', but I guess   
  
Quatre's parents want the little extra." Raising an eyebrow, he smirked. "But of course, it was after the little marathon around the house that the little asshole told me he had his own bathroom as well."  
  
Heero tried to suppress his laugher, but failed. All he could manage was to make small snorting noises so when a large man opened the door, he had to turn away to calm himself down. Duo grinned.  
  
"Wazzup Rashid. Is Quatre home?"  
  
The big man nodded and opened the door wide so the two teens could enter. Duo grinned. "By the way, this is Heero. A friend of mine. Say hello to the big man, Heero." Grinning, Duo nudged Heero in the ribs and Heero glared back before offering the man his hand. Rashid took it and shook it firmly.  
  
"Nice to meet you, master Heero. Master Quatre has talked warmly about you." Heero blushed and Duo smirked. "Is everyone present?"  
  
Rashid nodded. "Yes, master Duo. The others arrived just shortly before you. They are waiting in the music room." Duo nodded and grabbed Heero's arm. "Thanks, R. Remind me to tip you someday." Rashid nodded and walked away, while Duo dragged Heero up the stairs.  
  
"Come on. The others are already here." Heero let himself be dragged, again feeling the tingling his hand as Duo dragged him up two stairs and down a hall. They stopped outside a door and the faint sound from a guitar playing was heard through the door. Duo knocked and about three seconds later, Quatre opened.  
  
"Duo! Heero," he chirped and smiled. "We thought you had forgotten about us."  
  
Duo grinned and gave Quatre the 'v-is-for-victory' sign with his fingers. "Never, Q-man. I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to."  
  
Quatre giggled and opened the door wide so they could come in. Heero gasped when he entered. The entire room was packed with different instruments. A cabinet filled with different kinds of flutes, a wall decorated with guitars off all kinds and a stand with all kinds off blowing instruments. By the cabin stood a beautiful harp next to a white piano with golden rims. In the middle of the room stood a drum set, and by it sat Wufei playing with the sticks. Next to Wufei stood Trowa by a keyboard and a mixing table. In front of the drums stood a microphone and next to it two v-guitars, both black with red writing. And next to that stood-  
  
"Hilde! Babe, how are you?" Duo grinned and pulled a laughing girl towards him for a hug. The girl wasn't very tall, just inches shorter than Duo, and like the braided teen, she was dressed all in black. Her hair was short and black, and covered a little off her eyes. She was wearing a tight top and even tighter jeans. Hilde laughed and kissed Duo on the cheek, and then she spotted Heero.  
  
"My, my, ain't you a cutie," she winked and looked at him. "And what is your name, handsome?"  
  
Duo laughed. "Hands off, Hilde. You don't even know him." Hilde pouted and before her face broke into a grin. She reached out her hand and Heero shook it.  
  
Duo grinned and wrapped his arm once again around Heero's shoulder. "Hilde, this is Heero Yuy. He's new, just moved here form San Francisco."  
  
Hilde snickered. "San Francisco? Why the hell did you leave that town for and moved to a dull place like this?" Duo lifted his other arm and shook his finger in Hilde's face. "Now, now, don't mock the guy."  
  
Lifting the arm away from Heero's shoulder, he placed it around Hilde's shoulders instead. "Heero, this rude girl is Hilde Shubeiker. She's just about my only female friend and also the only girlfriend I'd ever had."  
  
Hilde grinned. "Yeah. The two off us really match each other and we have a lot in common. Too bad we had thing too much in common."  
  
Duo sniggered and left Hilde's shoulder. "Yeah, the same taste in men. Now we're more like brother and sister." Heero nodded and Hilde walked over to him. "So, you and Duo are just friends, or are there something more going on? Are you gay as well?"  
  
"HILDE," Duo yelled. "Please, you're making the guy uncomfortable. I didn't bring him here so you could mock him!"  
  
Heero smiled. "It's okay, Duo." Looking at Hilde, he smirked. "Duo and I are nothing more than friends at the moment, but as I've mentioned to Duo before, I'm uncertain about my own sexual preferences. I haven't met any girl or boy that has stirred any kinds of feelings in me."  
  
Hilde nodded and sighed. "Typical. All the cute guys are either gay, insane or has a disease they will die of before they're twenty. Guess I can add 'uncertain about their own preferences' on the list as well."  
  
Picking up the one of the v-guitars, Duo grinned. "Yeah, life's a bitch, ain't it? I got the same problem. All the guys I meet are either straight, insane or have an unknown disease they will die of before they're twenty." Hide walked over and slapped him on the arm.  
  
"So, you're the one that hogs all the straight guys? Leave 'em to me so can you have the gay guys I meet."  
  
Duo laughed. "Deal."  
  
Heero watched the little scenario in front of him, and then walked over to Trowa and Quatre. "Interesting girl. I can see why Duo would fancy a girl like that. Their just the same."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Yeah. But I think that it wouldn't have worked in the long shot, even if Duo was straight. Some times being too identical is bad."  
  
A knock on the door was heard, and Quatre turned to face it. "Enter."  
  
A guy with a beard popped his head in. "Excuse me, master Quatre, but I wondered if you and your friends would want some refreshments."  
  
Quatre nodded. "That would be wonderful, Abdul."  
  
Abdul nodded and walked in. "What would the gentlemen and the lady like?"  
  
Hilde raised an eyebrow and smirked; "I know what I'd like!" while Duo pretended to be confused and asked; "What lady? It's just us here." His comment earned him a slap from Hilde and Quatre shook his head while Heero tried to hold the snickering at bay.  
  
Abdul shook his head. "I guess they want the usual then." Turning towards Heero, Abdul asked; "Would you like some of the tea Quatre shall have, or do you want coke like the rest?"  
  
Heero dried away a tear. "Coke will be fine, thank you."  
  
Abdul nodded and disappeared out the door. Quatre nodded towards two chairs beside the door. "Would you like to sit down, Heero?"  
  
Heero nodded and took the chair closest to the door for no special reason, except that he could see the guys better from there. Duo grinned as he strapped one of the v-guitars around his himself. "Wisely of ya, Hee-chan. If Wufei starts to sing again, you had better get out of here fast before you turn deaf."  
  
"Kisama, Maxwell! That only happened once!" Wufei's face turned into a lovely shade of red and was making strange movements with his hands, as if he was preventing them from strangling the braided teen.  
  
Duo yelped and hid behind Hilde, who smacked him at the back of his head. "Act like a man, Duo, instead of the wimp we all know that you are." Duo made a sulking face and crossed his arms.  
  
"Meanie."  
  
Quatre sweat dropped and raised his hands. "Please, everybody. No fighting. I thought this was supposed to be a band practice."  
  
Duo grinned and turned towards Heero. "You're right, Q-man. Hey, Heero? Hope you like Evanescence, 'cause that's what we play when Hilde's among us."  
  
Heero nodded and Hilde strapped the other v-guitar around herself. Another sudden knock was heard and Abdul came in with a tray. "You're guest's refreshments, Master Quatre."  
  
Quatre smiled and took the tray from the man. "Thank you, Abdul. That will be all."  
  
Abdul bowed and left, closing the door behind him. Quatre carried the tray to a table and picket up a can with Coke. "You want it now, Heero?" Heero nodded and Quatre tossed it too him.  
  
"I'd wait if I were you, Hee-chan," he grinned as Heero tried to open the can. Heero looked up and glared at the braided teen. Duo shrugged and adjusted some of the wires that are attached to the guitar and the tightness of the strings. "I was just trying to warn you, Hee-chan. That can will explode in your face if you open it now. Remember, Quatre just tossed it."  
  
Heero blushed and realized that Duo was right. Quatre blushed as well. "I'm sorry, Heero. I should have handed it to you instead. I shouldn't have-"  
  
Heero lifted his hand and smiled. "No need to apologize, Quatre. No harm is done, right?"  
  
"Thanks to Shinigami," Duo grinned and gave them the thumbs up. Quatre nodded and poured himself a cup of tea before sitting down next to Quatre. Heero looked at him.  
  
"You're not going to play?"  
  
Quatre hook his head. "Not this time. The song their rehearsing now has no violin in it, and Trowa's doing the keyboard part. So there is no need for me. Not that I mind." Quatre closed his eyes and smiled. "I enjoy listening to them just as much as I enjoy playing."  
  
Heero smiled as well. "What song are they playing?"  
  
"A song called 'My Last Breath'. Hilde knows three songs by Evanescence by heart already, including this, but Duo has some problems with hitting the right notes and a certain transition just before the last part of the song. He's really good with the guitar and all, but he just can't fix that transition."  
  
Heero nodded and watched as Duo still tried to adjust the tightness of the strings. "Who's been playing with the guitar, Q-man? The strings are all fucked up!"  
  
Quatre choked on his tea and coughed. "Watch you languish, Duo!"  
  
"Sorry!" Plucking on one of the adjusters, he managed to correct the strings and grinned. "There. All done. Is everybody ready?"  
  
Everybody nodded and Duo looked at Trowa. "Hit it, T-bone."  
  
Trowa shrugged and turned the keyboard on. Then they started playing.  
  
A soft melody came from the speakers next to the keyboard first, then Wufei hit the drums and Duo started to play the guitar. Music instantly filled the room and Heero could do nothing but stare as Duo played the guitar.  
  
Hilde was dancing along with the music before she started to sing.  
  
//Hold on to me love  
  
You know I can't stay long  
  
All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid  
  
Can You hear me?  
  
Can You feel me in your arms?//  
  
Heero couldn't pay the others any attention. His gaze was fixed on Duo and his fingers. They danced along the strings and never hit one single note wrong. Even though his eyes were busy admiring Duo's hand, his ears were able to pick up the music and transfer it into his brain for him to enjoy. Hilde was a very talent singer, but in Heero's opinion, she wasn't near Duo's soft velvet voice. The certain rasping he was able to make when he'd increased the volume a little during the song earlier that week had sent tingles down Heero's spine and he was longing to hear it again.  
  
//Holding my last breath  
  
Save inside myself  
  
Are all my thoughts of you  
  
Sweet raptured light  
  
It ends here tonight//  
  
Heero noticed a little bummer at the transition between the verse and the chorus, but it was hardly noticeable unless you'd heard the song before, and Heero had indeed heard the song before. But the band didn't stop. Duo continued to play and Hilde continued to sing, almost as if they hadn't noticed it. But Heero saw that Duo had, 'cause his jaws tightened as he bit his teeth together to concentrate on what he was doing.  
  
//I'll miss the winter  
  
A world of fragile things  
  
Look for me in the white forest  
  
Hiding in a hollow tree  
  
I know you hear me  
  
I can taste it in your tears//  
  
//Holding my last breath  
  
Save inside myself  
  
Are all my thoughts of you  
  
Sweet raptured light  
  
It ends here tonight//  
  
Duo gritted his teeth as he made the transition and he did it perfectly. He then grinned and let his fingers dance once again without difficulties. Heero smiled as he saw his friend relax again. It was some much more pleasant to listen when he was playing for the pure joy, not when he was really trying to make it right.  
  
//Closing your eyes to disappear  
  
You pray your dreams will leave you here  
  
But still you wake and know the truth  
  
No one's here  
  
Say goodnight  
  
Don't be afraid  
  
Calling me calling me as you fade to black//  
  
Preparing to finish the song, Wufei hit the drums with such effort that he was almost snapping the sticks in half. Duo pressed the guitar's backside to his lower abdomen and let himself go, eyes closed and head tilted to the side. Hilde lifted her arm and danced, putting all her might into the last of the song.  
  
//Holding my last breath  
  
Save inside myself  
  
Are all my thoughts of you  
  
Sweet raptured light  
  
It ends here tonight//  
  
Finishing the song, Hilde bowed and threw herself around Duo, ending him. "You did it, Duo! You did the transition perfectly!"  
  
Duo grinned and lifted the guitar off him. "Yeah, but I did a bummer at the first chorus though."  
  
Wufei used one of the stick to scratch his back, but for once, he was smiling a gentle smile. "Nonsense, Maxwell. You did well. Next time, we'll be able to do the song perfect."  
  
Heero nodded and got up. "You were very good, Duo. I was very impressed." Duo grinned and dried some sweat off his forehead.  
  
"Thanks, Hee-chan. You wanna try?" Hading Heero the guitar, Duo smiled.   
  
"Come on, take it. Try it." Heero shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm not a very talented guitar player." Duo just shook his head and stuffed the guitar in Hero's arm. Taking one of the straps, he quickly fastened it around him. Then he turned the surprised teen around to make him grip the guitar properly.  
  
"There," he smiled and stepped back. "All done."  
  
Heero was just gripping the guitar and stood there, feeling like the biggest baka on the planet's surface. "Duo," he stated. "I don't know how to play any songs. Not one."  
  
Duo grinned and stepped behind Heero. Suddenly, Heero could feel Duo's body pressed against his back and he watched as Duo's soft hands covered his own. Duo leaned forward and rested his chin on Heero's shoulder. "You don't mind, do you?"  
  
Heero shook his head and Duo let his fingers slide between Heero's. Then he lifted his left hand, fingers covering Heero's own fingers, making them curl to make a proper grip around the cords. The he lifted Heero's right arm and gently rubbed his fingers down the strings. Duo smiled. "You try." Heero swallowed as Duo's right hand left his and he let his fingers brush over the strings again.  
  
"See? Now you know how to lay an A." Duo grinned and patted Heero's shoulder. "That will be all for today, Hee-chan. Next time, I'll teach you how to play a B." Smirking, Heero pushed Duo away and unstrapped himself from the guitar.  
  
"I think I'll let you handle this right now."  
  
Duo grinned and accepted the guitar. "Sure thing, buddy. But I ain't gonna let you finish college until you've learned at least one song. And I don't lie."  
  
Heero smirked and returned to his coke can. "I'm sure you will. Duo. I'm sure you will." This could prove to be a more interesting semester than it already was. And the warmth from Duo's body when it was pressed against him just wouldn't leave. Not that Heero wanted it to. In fact, he wanted to feel it again.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: Of course, how could a visit at Quatre's house be complete without Rashid? Let's just pretend that the rest of the servants are the rest of the Maganac Corps. Anyway, what do you think? Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	9. Understandings

New Hope Home  
  
New chappie. A new little bridge coming right up. Short one, sorry 'bout that, but I think that the next chapter's gonna be longer. So stick with me, 'key?  
  
***  
  
Understandings:  
  
The hours past by quickly and soon it was time for Heero to go home. Duo decided to join him and the two guys said good-bye to the rest. As Heero left, Hilde winked at him and gave him the 'call me' sign. Duo nudged her ribs and followed him out. Rashid escorted them out the door and soon Heero and Duo was walking away from Quatre's house. Heero was smiling all the way.  
  
"It was great listening to you. You guys are really great."  
  
Duo grinned. "Thanks, dude. It's been a long time since Hilde joined us. Felt good to rip out the old Evanescence song again."  
  
"You guys know many songs or………?"  
  
Duo smiled and looked at Heero. "Well, Hilde knows three Evanescence songs by heart, and I know how to play them by guitar. I know five Linkin Park songs, 2 Savage Garden songs and about three other songs by heart, lyrics and melodies."  
  
Heero raised and eyebrow, clearly impressed. "That's a lot. Is it difficult to remember the right tones and words?"  
  
Duo laughed. "At first it was, but it ain't so hard anymore. It's just something you get used to. Besides, I don't play in every song. Sometimes I just sing and let Quatre take over the guitar."  
  
"He plays the guitar?"  
  
"Sometimes. He doesn't like it very much. But he sings with me when we do Savage Garden, and Trowa joins me when we do Linkin Park." Duo shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Well, he doesn't exactly sing. He more talks with rhythm. But so does Rob Bourdon, the guy Trowa sings for. At least in my opinion, he does. But it's damned good anyway. But Trowa hates to sing, and Wufei ain't any good at it. [1]"  
  
"Who do you sing for in Linkin Park?"  
  
Duo grinned. "Chester Bennington. The blonde guy with the glasses. You've probably seen him in the music video 'Numb'."  
  
Heero nodded, but he didn't really know who Chester was.  
  
They continued to walk in silence for a little while before Heero spoke up. "Who play's the bass guitar?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "I do. At least when Hilde's with us. But when she's gone I play the v-guitar, so we're short one player."  
  
"Can't Quatre play the bass guitar? Isn't it almost like playing the guitar?"  
  
"Almost. But he doesn't like to play the guitar. He only knows one song on guitar. He doesn't play much, but he sings with me a lot."  
  
"He didn't play today."  
  
Duo grinned. "I know. This may sound cruel, but we didn't need him on that particular song."  
  
Heero nodded. Suddenly, Duo's arm was slung around his shoulder. "But maybe you can fill that empty place. Heck, if you want to you can take over Trowa's job as a singer. Maybe you can add a little more feeling into the songs."  
  
Heero laughed and pushed Duo away. "I don't think so."  
  
Duo's eyes took a dangerous look and said boy grinned evilly. "We'll see about that. I tell you now, Heero Yuy. I will not rest until I've heard you sing. And I don't lie."  
  
"You make many promises today, Maxwell. You also said that you wouldn't let me leave next year until I knew how to play one song."  
  
Duo grinned. "But I always make good on my promises." Heero just looked at him before he lowered his eyes to the ground before him, studying his own feet. There was just one more question he really wanted an answer for.  
  
"So, when did you and Hilde……… Date?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "When we attended secondary school. 'bout a year before I found out I was gay. When I told Hilde, she just shrugged and told me she knew. She took it pretty well, and we're still pretty good friends, even though we don't see each other that often anymore."  
  
"How come she's not attending 'Black Hole'?"  
  
"She didn't get in. She got into another college about 10 miles from here. She lives with some relatives of hers."  
  
Heero nodded, satisfied with the answers. He still had some questions about Duo, but he figured that they could wait. He would prefer to ask them when they knew each other a little more. He didn't want the teen to run away from him because he was poking his nose were it didn't belong, not that Heero did that very often. But Duo was so stuffed with secrets that he couldn't help it.  
  
Again they were walking in complete silence and too soon in Heero's opinion, they reacted his house. Duo stopped by the front gate, and Heero turned.  
  
"So, what'ca up to later today, Hee-chan?"  
  
Heero shrugged. "I was planning on getting some homework done."  
  
Duo raised an eyebrow. "What? But it's Saturday."  
  
Heero smirked and leaned his lower body on the still closed gate. "Yeah? If I do it now, I can relax tomorrow. I wouldn't have to worry about doing it when it's getting late."  
  
Duo opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again. "You got a point there. Maybe I should think about doing some of my homework too."  
  
Heero just smirked and opened the gate. "You do that."  
  
Duo grinned and waived to his friend before he disappeared down the street. Heero waived back before walking inside.  
  
***  
  
Dinner passed in silence and when Heero was finished, he disappeared up the stairs to get started on his homework. A couple of hours ticked by in complete silence, but as Heero was about to finish a essay on his computer, a faint knock was heard on his door. Believing it was his mother with some fresh laundry; Heero mumbled, "Come in" and continued to write on his computer.  
  
"Mind if I have a word with you, Heero?"  
  
Heero stopped typing, shocked when he realized that it was his father that was behind the door. But he didn't turn around.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Mr. Yuy walked into the room and sat down on Heero's bed. "I've been talking to your mother and she thinks that we should talk about………Your friends."  
  
"You mean the 'queers'?" Heero muttered and glared into the screen.  
  
Mr. Yuy scratched his neck, clearly unsure about what to say. "Hai. What I want to say is………" Taking a deep breath, he looked down. "That it's okay by me that you spend your time with them."  
  
Heero jerked his head up and looked directly at his father. Mr. Yuy tried to smile, but failed. "Heero……… You know what I feel about those kinds of people, but I will take your word for it when you say that they are decent people. And as long you don't do anything you will regret on later, then I assume it's okay."  
  
"Dad?"  
  
Mr. Yuy got onto is feet and walked over to his son, placing a hand on   
  
Heero's shoulder. "Heero, you are my son and I will love you no matter what you do. But I don't want you to do something that you might regret later, or experience something that can hurt you. I've met a lot of……… Gay people that is just after one thing."  
  
Heero looked at his dad, smirking a little. "Dad. There are many straight people out there too that is after one thing only. I believe that there are more straight people than gay people that want that. And I know that my friends won't hurt me, at least not like that."  
  
Mr. Yuy nodded and let go of Heero's shoulder. "Then it's okay. I'm not comfortable with it, but I won't say anything else about them before I get to know them."  
  
Heero's face lit up and he smiled. "Does this mean I can bring them home with me without you decapitating them?"  
  
Mr. Yuy frowned. "Watch your mouth now, Heero. Just because we've reached an understanding doesn't mean that you have the right to talk like that to your father."  
  
Heero looked down, not really ashamed. "Gomen, dad."  
  
Mr. Yuy nodded again and walked out of the room. Heero looked up and stared at the door, his face showing no emotions. But on the inside, he was screaming with joy.  
  
That night when he went to bed, his thought continued to drift back at the earlier events. He thought about the band, how great they were, about how Duo looked when he was playing the guitar, about how he had pressed his body against Heero's.  
  
Heero's body tingled when he thought about it and he shifted so he could lie on his side instead. He didn't believe in 'love at first sight', but he did believe that he was getting extremely attracted to the braided teen. He didn't know. He didn't feel uncomfortable in his presence, nor did he mind it when Duo's arm was thrown around his shoulders. But he hardly knew the teen, he only knew the basics. He didn't even know where the guy lived.  
  
Shifting again, Heero turned to lie on his stomach. This was gong to be a long night if his thought would continue to haunt him like this.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes:[1] I want to apologize to any fan of Wufei's singing voice. This particular sentence is just bull shit and I hope I didn't insult Wufei's seiyuus, which I think has a great voice. But somebody had to be the black sheep so, gomen nasai everybody.  
  
Gah, I think I fucked this chapter up completely! Anyway, what do you think? Hope that you're beginning to be a little curious by now. And I hope when I reveal Duo's secret that you won't be disappointed. I got a feeling that I'm overdoing Duo's secret a little to much, but I hope you'll be a little surprised anyway. Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	10. New Hope Home

New Hope Home  
  
New chappie. Big time jump, but there's nothing special during that period so... And I've discovered a HUGE mistake I've done about the school system in USA. I've walked around and believed that they finish college when they're 18. But now I know they finish High-school when they're 18 (or something like that). It won't damage my story, but kindly look away from any previously written 'college' and change it out with 'high-school'. Arigato everybody if you can do that. Anyway, please read and I hope you'll enjoy it.  
  
P.S. How many off you would like to see Hee-chan and Duo-san wiggle their butt? ^__^  
  
***  
  
"New Hope Home:"  
  
Summer slowly shifted towards autumn and autumn break was soon up coming. Heero spends most of his time with the 'Fallen Angels', attending their band practices or just hanging out. They mostly hooked up at Quatre's since he has the biggest space.  
  
The day after the Angels first band practice, Quatre had beeped Heero and asked if he wanted to jog with him, and since that day, they've been jogging together every Sunday. Heero enjoyed the company the blonde gave him much better that he enjoyed the company of Bach or Mozart. At least now, he could talk a little.  
  
He and Duo also played basketball after school on a regular basis, but he still hadn't been able to beat the braided teen. Two or three times a week, Duo came home with him and they would do some homework together. Heero's father stayed out of the way when Duo finally dared to enter the front door, but was warmly greeted by Heero's mother.  
  
As time passed, he found out that he really enjoyed Duo's company when it was just the two of them. He always joked when they did their homework, saying stuff about the subject or the teacher. He never once failed to make Heero laugh. Other times they would just sit on Heero's bed and stare at the ceiling, talking about everything and nothing. The fact that he still didn't know where the braided teen lived was always forgotten when he saw Duo's happy smiling face and he still hadn't figured out what his secret was. He believed it had something to do with were he lived. Maybe he was ashamed of the place, but he didn't believe that was it. But he knew that Duo's home and the possible pain Duo might have felt in the past were linked together. It could be anything. Abusive parents, non-caring family or something else. Heero quickly dismissed any thought linked to 'abusive' since Duo's skin never showed any kinds of marks that he was being beaten. But he had never seen Duo naked, so he could only guess. Just because he had no markings on his face, didn't mean that he wasn't being hurt. He puzzled on this at every opportunity, trying to find some reasonable explanation for Duo's mysterious past, but nothing seemed to fit. Pain and longing mixed with a home Heero had never seen.  
  
But slowly Heero started to get to know the other teens, their bad habits and annoying gestures. He learned that Quatre had claustrophobia, while Trowa was dead scared of dogs. Wufei seemed fearless, but Heero soon found out that Wufei passed out when he saw blood. He figured that one out after Heero got a paper cut from sorting paper with Wufei, and Wufei ran out off the room when he started bleeding. Duo had arachnophobia, and Heero himself told them that he was afraid of elevators. Everyday they learned something new about each other and soon Heero felt more than at home with the 'Fallen Angels'. But he still felt like an outsider since the rest knew something that he didn't and that something was the little thing about Duo.  
  
With autumn came the rain and soon the ground was too slippery with rain and old leafs for Heero and Quatre to jog on. Duo and Heero also had to stop playing basketball outside of the school, but they simply moved their activity to the gym when it was available. Most of the time the hall was taken, so they usually just sat on the school fence and talked. And this day was no different.  
  
"Man, why does the god damned football team have to hog the hall all the time?" Duo huffed and crossed his arms. Heero smirked and stretched. "Maybe because they need the practice."  
  
Duo grinned. "So do you. Soon you won't be a challenge for me anymore." Heero smacked him over the head. "Baka." Duo just grinned and checked his watch.  
  
"Guess I should head home anyway. It's my turn to help out with the dishes."  
  
Heero looked at him as Duo jumped down from the fence. "You have a big family?"  
  
Duo smiled. "You can say that."  
  
Heero scratched his neck and looked up. "So where do you live anyway? I still don't know, you know." Duo looked down. "Yeah, I know."  
  
Heero looked at him and poked him on the shoulder so Duo would look up at him. Duo did. "You ashamed of your family or your house or something? You know that I don't care if your house is small or what it looks like, we'll still be friends."  
  
Duo smiled again. "Yeah, I know. And I'm not ashamed of where I live. I just don't think you're ready to handle it."  
  
"Handle what?"  
  
Still smiling, Duo looked out into the air. "The truth."  
  
"The truth? What truth?"  
  
Duo looked at him and his smiled faded. "Never mind. Just forget it."  
  
Smirking, Heero looked away from him. "What? You don't trust me enough to tell me?"  
  
Shaking his head, Duo looked out into the air again. "I do, Heero, I do. Let's just say that I'm not ready to share it yet."  
  
Heero looked back at him. "I don't mean to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but how come? Is it that serious?"  
  
Duo shook his head again and turned to face Heero. Cobalt clashed with Prussian. "No. But I don't want you to pity me."  
  
"Pity you?"  
  
Duo closed his eyes and looked away. "Let's just say that things...Are a little complicated. No, not really complicated, but...Well, I don't know how to explain it. But I just have to make myself ready. I've told a certain amount of people this little thing and only a few have truly understood my reasons not to tell them sooner."  
  
"The rest of the 'Fallen Angels', right?"  
  
Duo nodded. Heero smiled. He understood. "You can tell me when you're ready for it. But remember that I don't care if it's something about your house. I'll still be your friend. But I have to admit that this is making me damn curious."  
  
Duo smiled. "Then what the heck, I'll let ya know. You know were Hope Street is?" Heero shook his head. Duo smiled. "Listen, I would love to invite you home with me today, but I've got a certain amount of duties to do before I do anything else, so I won't be much company. When are you off tomorrow?"  
  
Heero looked at Duo, a little puzzled about this quick change of mind. "About four."  
  
"Good. You're sharing your last two lessons with Quatre, right?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
Still grinning, Duo ran a hand trough his bangs. "I'm off at two, so that would give me enough time to get home and tell the people at home. You can ask Quatre to show you the street or give you instructions or something. It's just a couple of block from were he lives, so I'm sure he won't mind."  
  
Heero nodded and jumped down from the fence. "What number?"  
  
Duo smiled. "47 Hope Street." Heero nodded again and picked up his bag." Tomorrow then." Duo nodded and started walking. "Tomorrow, Hee-chan."  
  
***  
  
The minute Heero's class was over the next day, he grabbed Quatre's arm and yanked him away from the other students.  
  
"Heero? What is-"  
  
Heero let go of his arm and lifted his hand. "Gomen, Quatre. I just wanted to ask you something, but the others were just too noisy."  
  
Quatre looked at him and lifted his bag onto his shoulder. "What?"  
  
"Can you explain to me how to get to Hope Street?"  
  
Quatre smiled. "So Duo's finally decided to let you know his little secret? It's about time."  
  
Heero looked puzzled, and then he understood. "I knew it. His secret's linked to where he lives." Quatre just laughed. "You've been puzzling about this for a while, haven't you?" Heero nodded. Quatre straightened his bag again and laid a hand on Heero's shoulder. "Heero, I want you to know that it's nothing serious, but still important. Duo had his reasons not to tell you sooner, and with this, you will learn more about him. Everything to be precise."  
  
Heero raised an eyebrow. "Sounds big." Quatre nodded. "As I said, it's nothing serious, but Duo's home shaped him to be who he is today."  
  
Heero just nodded, incapable of saying anything. Quatre laid a careful hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Well, shall we go? I can follow you, no problem." Heero nodded again and the two of them walked out.  
  
Quatre took the lead and Heero followed, mentally noting himself where they were going. Quatre didn't say anything while they walked, just pointed at their headed direction and walked that way with Heero following. When Heero finally noticed the street sign that read 'Hope Street', his heart skipped a beat. He was finally going to see Duo's home.  
  
They walked past the first 40 houses and reached another sign the read '41- 60 Hope Street' to the left and '61-80 Hope Street' to the right. Quatre nodded to the left. "Down there."  
  
Heero swallowed and nodded. Why was he so nervous? Was it because of all the ridiculous images of Duo's home he had cooked up and stored in his brain? Heero gently rubbed his left temple, trying to prevent a headache. They continued to walk for a little while longer, and then Quatre stopped.  
  
"This is it."  
  
Heero stopped and looked at the house. It was big and had many small children running around everywhere; several were running in and out the doors. It looked like a kindergarten. Heero's brain couldn't connect this to Duo.  
  
"Are you sure? This looks more like a kindergarten."  
  
Quatre nodded and Heero looked at the building again. Actually, it was two buildings, but the other was lying behind the other, barely noticeable from where he was standing. He scanned over the first building again. And noticed the sign on the door.  
  
While his brain was still trying to gather all the information and link it together, a black clothed teen came out of the first building and ran towards them. Quatre nodded and walked away, leaving Heero to Duo. Duo smiled sheepishly and waived towards the two buildings.  
  
"Hiya Heero. Welcome to 'New Hope Orphanage'. Or 'New Hope Home' as it's known around these parts. My home."  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: This chapter didn't turn out to be like I wanted it too at all......... At least not the beginning......... What do you think? Were you surprised anyway? Please tell me what the lot of you thought about it. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* And I would like to thank everybody that's already reviewed me ('bout time. I know, I'm lazy.). I honestly didn't knew it would be this many. But thank you everybody. Hugs and Gundam pilots to ya all. Thankee! 


	11. Duo's Secret

New Hope Home  
  
New chappie. Please tell me if you got a little surprised by the last one. Please. Did ya? Anyway. Here's Duo's story. Enjoy.:)  
  
***  
  
"Duo's Secret":  
  
"Hiya Heero. Welcome to 'New Hope Orphanage'. Or 'New Hope Home' as it's known around these parts. My home."  
  
New Hope Home. New Hope Orphanage. Duo's home. A hundred thoughts were swimming around in Heero's brain and he couldn't grasp not one of them. Duo still smiled sheepishly and waived his hand towards the building.  
  
"Wanna come in so you can get all the facts?"  
  
Heero nodded and walked towards Duo. Duo smiled and followed Heero towards the front door. They didn't talk to each other, but many of the children waived to the braided teen. A little girl jumped into Duo's arms before they got in and grasped after his braid. "Who's that, Duo?"  
  
Duo opened his mouth, but Heero got there before him. "I'm a friend of Duo." The little girl looked at him with big blue eyes and Heero was surprised that her eyes didn't pop right out of her skull.  
  
"Now, now, Annie. No need to stare, is there?" The little girl wrapped her hands around Duo's neck and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry. You will play with me later, won't you?"  
  
Duo laughed and put the girl down before he ruffled her hair. "Can't promise you anything, dolly, but I'll see what I can do." He winked before opening the door to the first building. He waited until Heero had walked in before he followed. Heero stopped and waited 'til Duo had closed the door, then followed him down a hall. He could see many doors, all with different name signs that the children had made and they were all bright and colorful. They walked in silence until they reached a door with a plain sign where it stood 'Duo'.  
  
Dou smiled again and scratched his neck. "It's not as plain on the inside. I have to warn you, it's very messy, but I can never bring myself to clean it up, and-"Heero lifted his hand, silencing him. He then gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Duo, I don't care."  
  
Duo snorted. "Hey, I've seen your room you neat-freak." Heero smirked and Duo opened the door. Heero walked in and looked around. It looked like an average teenage room. Some socks and a black pants lied on the floor along with a couple of magazines and comics, the desk next to the bed was stuffed with papers and school-books, the bed itself was neatly made and Duo's leather jacked laid at the foot end of the bed. Two posters of Linkin Park covered the wall over the bed and many small drawings was scattered all around in the room. Beside one of the posters was a big window that faced the next door house.  
  
Duo tiptoed by the door, and Heero turned to face him. "It's not that bad, Duo. I imagined it would be worst."  
  
Duo pouted and pretended to be hurt for a moment or two before he closed the door and sat down on the chair next to the desk. Heero sat down on the bed and looked around some more. Behind the door was a closet and a bookshelf. Heero recognized many of the titles like 'Harry potter' 1 to 5, 'The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide', 'Stupid White Men' and much to his surprise 'David Copperfield'.  
  
Duo studied Heero's face and scratched his neck again. "You want anything to drink, Heero?" Heero looked at his friend and noticed that he looked slightly uncomfortable. "No, thank you, I'm fine."  
  
"Okay," Duo nodded and looked out the window. Heero waited patiently for Duo to settle his thoughts and took the liberty too look around a little more. His eyes were drawn to a lovely pencil drawn picture of someone's eye. It wasa black and white picture and Heero suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. The eye seemed like it was looking straight at him, it was so real-like. Duo turned to stare at the picture as well and laughed softly.  
  
"That's Helen's eye. She's one of the people that works here. The guy that owns the place is called Father Maxwell. He used to be a priest before he decided to give his life up for children that needed help."  
  
"That's very noble," Heero answered and Duo nodded. "It is. Father is a very noble man and everybody here loves him. I love him like he was my own father." Duo swallowed and Heero scotched closer to the braided teen.  
  
"Take your time," he whispered and carefully laid a hand on Duo's thigh.  
  
"I haven't ripped up in the old memories for two years, but I guess it's just healthy." Duo laughed and scratched his neck yet again. "Well, I guess I should start with the beginning." Drawing in some breath, Duo started his tale.  
  
"I've been here at 'New Hope Home' for about 13 years now. I first came here when I was 5." Looking at the floor, Duo's eyes seemed sad. "I lived in a average family, I guess. My dad was a lawyer and my mum just walked around in the house. We were happy even though my father had to work late very often. I was an only child and lived a little away from other children. Not that it mattered, my mum was my playmate, but I guess I got a little lonely sometimes."  
  
Looking at the Japanese teen, Duo smiled and sniffed. "I don't remember everything 'cause it happened so long ago, but I remember that I'd asked my mum if I could have a baby brother or sister for Christmas. She had looked at me with a loving look and said maybe. And two months before Christmas she and my dad came to me and said that I would get my wish. Mum was pregnant."  
  
The smile disappeared from Duo's lips and he looked down at his hands. "I remember it was snowing. It was in the middle of the night and my dad came rushing in to wake me up. My mum's water had just broke and she was going into labor. He just lifted me out of my bed and rushed us out into the car. He laid me gently in the backseat so I could sleep. I had to come with them to the hospital, my dad kept muttering that I couldn't be home alone."  
  
Heero looked at him. "Couldn't they have called a relative to take care of you? Or a friend?" Duo shook his head.  
  
"No. Both my parents were only children. My dad's mum died when giving birth to him, his father died when I was two. My mum's father disappeared before she was born and her mother died before I was born." Smiling a weak smile, Duo shook his head. "Funny how I still remember that, when I can barely remember my parents faces..."  
  
Heero looked at Duo. Lifting his hand, he placed it under Duo's chin so they could look each other in the eyes. "What happened?"  
  
Duo blinked and sniffed again. Closing his eyes, he lifted his own hand so it could cover Heero's. "It was Christmas eve. It was snowing and it was icy. The snow-plough hadn't been out on the road to remove the new snow or to sprinkle the ice."  
  
Suddenly opening his eyes, Duo stared out into the air. "I don't know what happened, but I still remember the screaming. The scream from my mum, the high-pitched cursing from my father, the screeching from the wheels as they tried to get a grip on the icy roads, The bang as the car hit a tree. The scattering of glass. The disgusting sound as one of the branches from the tree went straight trough my fathers head."  
  
Heero gasped. Duo's hand tightened around Heero's, squeezing it. "No point telling you that my father didn't survive that kind off damage. My mother was cut up by the broken window glass. I still remember a particular large piece stuck in her chest. Neither she nor the unborn child survived. But I did, just because I was asleep."  
  
Removing Heero's hand from his chin, Duo suddenly started to remove his t- shirt. Heero looked at him, mouth wide open from both the story and the teen's sudden action. Once the shirt was removed, Duo grabbed Heero's wrist and laid his hand on his left shoulder. "Because I was lying down, another branch that entered the window missed my heart and lungs by inches. It went straight through my shoulder instead."  
  
Moving his hand from Heero's wrist to his hand, he made Heero unclench his fist and brushed his fingers over a rough area off his skin. Barely visible on the soft pale skin, was a big circular scar. Heero gently brushed over the area again, before blushing and removing his hand. Duo picked up his shirt and started to pull it on again. Adjusting his braid, he smiled a sad smile.  
  
"I got the same mark on my back, just a little further up." Heero nodded and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "It... It must have been horrible... But I guess you don't remember much after on."  
  
"On the contrary, Heero, I remember a lot. I was awake the whole time. From the second of the impact to the arrival of the paramedics. I remember that I didn't scream. I didn't even shed a tear. I just lied there, being scared. I knew if I fell asleep, then I might not wake up. And I didn't want to fell asleep. The horrible sight that previously was my mother and father frightened me. I felt alone 'cause I couldn't her them breathing. I didn't see their chest moving. I could only hear a disgusting gurgling sound that made me wanna puke. But I couldn't do that either. I was so scared.  
  
"I lied there for what I assume was hours before I heard the faint sound of sirens. When I saw people stepping out of the ambulance, I felt safe and allowed myself to go asleep. When I woke up-"  
  
"He was at the hospital, alone and frightened."  
  
Heero looked up and Duo turned. In the door stood a pretty lady with blond hair yanked in a ponytail. He was smiling and Heero instantly recognized the eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry that I disturbed your story, Duo, but I just came to tell you that it's dinner time soon."  
  
Duo smiled and got onto his feet. "No problem, Helen." Turning so he could face Heero, he winked and hugged the woman. "Heero, this is Helen. Helen met Heero."  
  
Helen smiled and walked over to where Heero was sitting. She reached out her hand and Heero took it, shaking it gently. "So you are Heero? Duo has talked a lot about you, and I was starting to wonder if I would ever meet you. I see that Duo has finally decided to tell you his tale."  
  
Heero nodded and Helen moved to the door. "I hope that you decide to tell him everything in a row, Duo. Don't hide anything." Duo nodded and Helen disappeared behind the closed door. Duo sat back down onto the chair and looked at the teen on his bed.  
  
"Helen," he said again. "She was at the hospital the night I was brought in. I was scared and I kept screaming after my mum and dad. I knew they were gone, but since I was only 5, I didn't believe it. They operated on me 'cause I had some internal damages. When I woke up, I was screaming and thrashing around so the doctors drugged me down so I would stay calm. They were afraid that I would hurt myself. That's why I'm not particularly fond of drugs." Duo pulled a face before he continued. "I was there for a couple of days, and everyday Helen was there to visit me, telling me how brave I was. She had heard about the accident the night she was there and decided to cheer me up until they could find any relatives of me. No such luck of course, since I didn't have any."  
  
Duo chuckled and looked at Heero. "Helen felt really sorry for me when she heard I didn't have any relatives and decided to list me up for adoption at the orphanage. She and the doctors told me so. They told me everything. And I started crying. And I changed."  
  
Heero tilted his head to watch the braided teen. Duo's gaze was now fixed on a drawing beside the door. It was off a demon, surrounded by flames and blood was running down it's face and arms. The demon it self's eyes was shut and the face was pulled back in pain. Duo chuckled again. "I don't like that drawing. I drew it after a nightmare I had some years back. I just...had to get it out off my system."  
  
Taking a deep breath, he continued. "When I got to the orphanage, I wasn't like this. I didn't smile. I didn't laugh. The day I got there and was given my room and belonging, the first thing I did was throw everything I owned everywhere. I didn't want any off it. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I went from being a normal 5-year old, to a angry 'I-hate-the- world' 5-year old, so unlike the person I am now.  
  
"I don't think I hade one friend when I was a kid. I didn't talk to any of the other kids. I just yelled at them, trying to beat them up and was very violent. Helen and Father Maxwell was so worried about me and they didn't know what to do about me. They were concern about the other children's health and welfare, but they couldn't just send me away. Some kid-less couples was interested in me, but when they saw how I was behaving, they quickly changed their mind. People want kids that are full off life and happy, not grumpy and violent. So I stayed here for 5 years without one friend and without getting adopted once. And when I turned 10, I learned about a thing that could change my life and end my suffering. The fine art of suicide."  
  
Heero's mouth dropped open and Duo's right hand moved to his left writs, stripping off the watch. Then he turned his hand over, showing Heero a long, thin scar over his wrist. "I didn't take off my watch when we play basked 'cause I didn't want you too know just yet."  
  
Heero looked at the scar and back at Duo. Duo's face was serious with a hint of fear. Heero gave him a weak smile and laid his hand over the scar. "Continue, please. I want to know everything."  
  
Duo nodded. "They say that, if you really wanna die, you won't feel a thing. You'll just get very sleepy and then feel...nothing...so I guess not every part off me was ready to go just yet. I'd managed to steal a razor from Father Maxwell and was ready to end my life. But the moment the razor penetrated my skin, I screamed. The pain was so unexpected and in mere reflex, I cut straight over my wrist. I screamed so loud that I woke up Helen, Father Maxwell and some off the older kids 'cause they were sleeping in the same building as me. When they saw me, lying on the floor in a pile of blood, Helen screamed for the other kids to call an ambulance. Father Maxwell fetched some bandages and help me stay awake. I kept screaming and screaming until I passed out.  
  
"I awoke at the hospital and the first thing I saw was father Maxwell and Helen. And the first thing I felt was a hard slap across my face. Father Maxwell had smacked me across the face and hissed that I was foolish to end my life in such a way. Foolish for giving up so quickly. I started crying and he pulled me into a warm embrace. The words he whispered to me that day still ring in my head, and I know I'll treasure them 'til the day I die. He told me that life was too valuable to be thrown away in a blink of an eye. Life was what you made out off it, and that I should, live everyday like it was my last. Life was to be cherished and celebrated and it up to me to decide on what I want to do with it. I was only given once chance. And that day, I decided to grab it."  
  
Duo smiled. "I changed again that day. I became the one I am today. Not one day passed without me smiling and I managed to befriend the whole orphanage, but my best friend was Solo. He was slightly older than me, but he didn't mind. We stuck together like two peas in a pod, until the day he got adopted away. Helen feared that I would distance myself again, falling back at my previous behavior, but I stayed the same. I was sad of course, but happy that Solo was given a second chance." Duo shrugged. "Haven't heard from him since. I think he and his new family moved to another continent, Europe or something. I got letters from him at the beginning, but one day they just stopped coming."  
  
Duo looked down, bit his lip, before looking up, and smiled. "More people were interested in me, but when they heard about my previous behavior, some of them changed their mind." Scratching his neck again, Duo looked at Heero. "Helen videotapes every kid that comes here so that the people can see how their behaving on a regular basis. Some can be shy around strangers. She also videotapes if the kids have a particular problem, disease or something else, just so the possible parent will know what to expect and learn how to handle it. She showed everybody the tapes she'd done off me. Everything from the day I came, to some off the fights, to the night I tried to kill myself and to my transformation.  
  
"She still doesn't believe she managed to stay calm and videotape the whole accident while father Maxwell tried to patch me up, but she did."  
  
Duo smiled sheepishly and stretched. "But time showed that 'New Hope Home' wasn't getting rid of me that easily. If a couple was interested in me enough to take me home, I always did my best, or should I say worst, to be sent back. I felt that I owed them for the second chance I was given and wanted to stay and help them. But when I turned 13, Helen told me too stop that. She said that it was very sweet of me to want that, but I wasn't helping by being continued to be sent back. If I wanted to help them, I could stop by and help them when whenever I wanted. She said that the older I got, the harder it would get for me to get adopted and that wasn't helping. And she was right."  
  
Duo sighed. "People want their kids to be small too as well as playful. It's just like kittens, ya know. The second the kitten is too old, their not as cute anymore. And when you're 13, you can't form the kids like you want."  
  
Smiling, Duo turned to face Heero again, having turned away several times. "Remember that I run and hide, but never tell a lie?" Heero nodded.  
  
"Well, it was around this time I stared dating Hilde as well as questioning my own sexuality. The few times I got adopted and they found out I was gay they sent me back. People didn't want a gay son. I was sad and I asked if I should lie about me being gay. Helen knew and she had accepted the moment she found out. And when I asked her that question, she had told me no. I should never lie about the person I am. If people were so stupid, fussing about the little things, then they didn't deserve to have a kid like me."  
  
Turing towards the eye again, Duo smiled. "Helen and Father Maxwell have supported me through everything. They never gave up on me. Not once. They're my family now. They nursed out my talents and helped me to become the one I am today along with the 'Fallen Angels' and Hilde. I owe them all my life."  
  
Looking at Heero, Duo smiled a smile he suspected was a direct sappy smile and scratched his nose for a change. "And that's my story. Hope it's been entertaining and that I haven't scared you away in any means." Heero looked down and stored the new information he'd just got into his brain, trying to analyze it and get it straight. "Heero?" The gentle voice along with a gentle hand on his shoulder woke him up, and Heero stared into the face of his worried friend.  
  
"Gomen, Duo. I always slip away when I'm thinking." Duo snorted and removed his hand, smiling. "Yeah, I know. S'okay, I just wanted too..."  
  
Heero smiled. "Wanted too know if I still wanted to be your friend, even with the problems you'd had in your past?" Duo blushed and looked away. Heero moved his hand to Duo's face, forcing him to look him in the face. "Yes, Duo. I'm still your friend. I feel sorry for the problems I'd had in your past, but I want you too know that I'm not your friend out off pity. I'm your friend because you have a great personality and it's fun to hang out with you. You've made me feel more relaxed and alive than anybody has." Embarrassed by his little speech, Heero looked down, blushing. This time it was Duo's turn to tilt his head upwards, forcing them to lock eyes. Prussian locking with Cobalt.  
  
"Thank you," he whispered and smiled. "Thank you for that little speech. I know you're a man of few words and I really appreciate it."  
  
Heero blushed again and smiled. "I don't know how this will sound, but... I know I've only known you for a couple off months, but I already feel that..." Taking a deep breath, Heero talked in a mere whisper. "I'd never let anybody this close to me, and I already consider you as one of the best friends I'd ever had. I consider you too be...My best friend."  
  
Duo smiled and stroked Heero's cheek tenderly. "Thank you, Heero. And guess what, I feel the same way back. And I don't lie."  
  
Grinning, Duo pulled him into a warm embrace. Heero felt his own arm sliding around Duo's waist and he laid his head on Duo's shoulder, inhaling his sent. He felt himself smiling and enjoying the intimacy and all to soon the warm body was gone.  
  
Heero stayed at the orphanage for a while before he headed home, content to visit Duo again.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: I just had to add Solo to the story, as well as father Maxwell and Helen. Hope you'll accept and like. What do you think? Did you get surprised again? Did ya? DID YA? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. *points at the review button* Thankee! 


	12. Bundles of energy

New Hope Home  
  
New chappie. Sorry for the delay people, hope you'll forgive me, but I've been feeling kind of down lately. My cousin just died and I haven't had much inspiration lately. But now I'm back in shape and ready to do some serious writing. By the way, can the one that stole my muse PLEASE return it. I really need it if I'm gonna finish this thing.  
  
"Bundles of energy:"  
  
The day after Duo's confession was calm. It was the weekend and Heero had planed to finish his homework and then have a workout. But his braided friend had other suggestions.  
  
The day was lovely and the sun was shining, giving leaves that were still hanging on the trees a reddish color. A perfect Saturday, Heero was working in the garden, removing the dead leafs from the ground before winter set in, when his phone rang. Yanking it up from his pocket, he smiled when he saw it was his black clothed friend.  
  
"Wazzup, Duo?" Shocked by himself, he held a snicker at bay. He had never greeted a friend like that. 'Duo's starting to rub off at me', he smiled.  
  
"Nothing. Just chillin', killin'. Ya know, the usual stuff." Heero laughed.  
  
"Sure, Duo. What do you need help with now?"  
  
"What?" Duo gave a high-pitched sound and Heero could just imagine the fake pout that was on his friends face. "Can't a guy call his friend without getting a comment like that? I think I'm insulted."  
  
Heero laughed softly and sat down onto the grass, ignoring the moist from last nights rainfall that now leaked trough his pants. He was going to change when he was done anyway. "Gomen, Duo. What's on your mind?"  
  
He could hear the faint sound of kids in the background and smiled. After a little while, Duo spoke up. "Actually, I hoped if you could help me with a little something today. Unless you're busy of course."  
  
Heero snorted. "I'm sitting on my ass in wet grass with a ton of leaves that's just waiting for me to clean it up. Of course I'm not busy. The only reason I'm doing this is because my father twisted his ankle at work yesterday."  
  
"Isn't your dad a doctor? How did he do that?"  
  
"A patient was puking in the hall and my dad rushed down the stair to help him. He tripped and fell instead." Heero could hear snickering at the other end and he smiled, picturing Duo's laughing face.  
  
"Anyway, what is it that you need help to do?"  
  
"I'm taking care of a couple off kids today, five kids to be precise. I'm gonna take them to the park and we're gonna play and stuff. They're really nice, but five bundles of energy is quite a handful, so I was hoping that you could help me take care of them. I can't handle them all by my self."  
  
Heero scratched the back of his neck. "Why did you call me about that? I'm not really great with kids. I'm sure Quatre would-"  
  
"Quatre's out of town, visiting one of his sisters, remember?"  
  
Heero nodded before realizing that Duo couldn't see through the phone and mumbled a short 'Hai'.  
  
"Q-man normally helps me out with the kids since he loves 'em, but with him out of town, you're the next on my list. I can't pick Trowa 'cause the kids thinks he's boring because he doesn't talk and Wu-man doesn't even like kids. So everything lies on you, Hee-chan. What do ya say? Wanna do me this favor? I promise it won't be any trouble."  
  
Heero bit his lower lip and thought for a second. He wasn't really good with kids since he'd never been one. Already from an early age, his father had sat his mind on making Heero the perfect son and student so his future would be secure. So instead of playing Heero had stayed inside, reading and learning. Shaking his head, he removed a dead leaf from his leg and smiled. "Okay, Duo. I'll help you. Could be fun."  
  
"Yay! Thanks a bunch, Heero!" Duo's voice chirped happily trough the phone and Heero laughed. "And I promise you Heero, it will be fun! These kids are really nice and I'm sure they'll like you as soon as you get warmed up."  
  
Heero just laughed. "What time do you want me to be there?"  
  
"How long will ya need to scrape up the rest of the leaves?"  
  
"An hour or so. And I have to change."  
  
"Don't bother. I can also promise you a big mound of dirt when the kids are done with ya."  
  
Heero nodded. "Gotcha. I'll be there in an hour then."  
  
"Great. I'll see ya then, and thanks a bunch once again, Hee-chan."  
  
"No problem. I'll see you then."  
  
Turning of his phone, he slipped it back into his pocket. Raising his knees to his chin, he wrapped his arms around them and looked over the garden. If he hurried up, he could be finished in 45 minutes and still have some time over to prepare himself. He trusted Duo's word when he said they was nice kids, but he'd also mentioned 'bundles of energy'. If they were half as bad as Duo, and Heero suspected they were, they would be more than a handful. Sighing, Heero got up and started to work again. Looked like he would get more exercise than he usually did this weekend.  
  
Precisely one hour after Duo's call, Heero was on his way towards the orphanage. Noting where he went the last time, he quickly found the way and when he could see the building, he increased his pace. Not bothering to open the gate, he quickly placed his hand on it and swung his body over it in one fluid motion. Three little boys that sat in the grass looked at him with wide eyes and Heero blushed. Jogging up to the door, he knocked on the door and waited until it was opened by a little girl.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Bending down, Heero gave her a gentle smile. The girl was small and was dressed in a green dress and red socks. Her face was round and her eyes big and blue with hair that's down to her shoulders and slightly red. "Hi there, I'm here for Duo"  
  
The girl stared at him and Heero started to wonder if he had something in his face. Gently brushing over his nose, just to make sure, he smiled again. "Erm...I'm suppose to meet up with Duo. Is he here?"  
  
Stare.  
  
Sighing, he was close to give up. Deciding to try one more time, he tried to make it as simple as possible. Maybe the girl was new, or she wasn't good at remembering names. "Is Duo here? A big boy with hair to his bum?"  
  
The girl lightened up and smiled. "A-ah. He's here. He's in the kitchen with some other kids." The words came out as half giggling and Heero smiled. She was cute. "Thank you," he said and patted her head. He got up and started to walk inside when the girl tugged on his jacked. He turned.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
The girl didn't say anything. She just raised her arms and looked at him. After a moment she uttered one word. "Up?"  
  
Heero smiled and lifted her up. "Alright, chibi. Guess I can lift you up for a while." The girl giggled and patted his cheek. "Funny words."  
  
Looking at the giggling girl in his arms, he was slightly confused. "What? Chibi?"  
  
Heero walked towards a living room and sat the girl down on the couch. The girl smiled and Heero couldn't help but loving her eyes. They were so bright and blue. They reminded him of Duos eyes. "Chi-biiii." Dragging the word out, she giggled again and kissed Heero's cheek.  
  
"Looks like someone's fond of you, Heero."  
  
Jerking his head in the direction of the voice, he spotted a young lady. Helen. She dried her hands on a handkerchief and walked towards him. "Nice seeing you again, Heero. I'm so glad that you weren't scared away. I've seen to many people run away from Duo when he tells his tale. But of course, it's been a while since he last took someone home. I guess they were too young to understand back then."  
  
Heero nodded and smiled, ignoring the light tugging on his sleeve. "It's my pleasure, Miss. Duo's a great guy. His past doesn't matter to me, nor does his preferences, but I'm glad and flattered that he trusted me with it. After all, we haven't known each other for that long."  
  
Helen laughed. "Please, call me Helen. The Miss makes me sound old, and I'm not a day over thirty."  
  
"And I'm glad that you think so fondly of our Duo after so short time. We're very proud of him."  
  
Another voice found it's voice to Heero's ears and Heero turned. An old man with white hair and a friendly face stood in the living room door. His eyes were small and looked black, but Heero could feel the friendliness that came from them. Helen nodded towards the man. "Heero, meet Father Maxwell. The founder of 'New Hope Home' and everybody's father."  
  
Father Maxwell reached out his hand and Heero shook it. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Duo's been talking warmly about you. I hoped I would get the chance to see you one day." Heero blushed. "Duo's been talking warmly about you too, sir."  
  
Helen laughed. "My, aren't you the polite one. Think Duo has something to learn from you." Heero smirked. Father Maxwell nodded. "I would love to talk more to you, young man, but I have to go. I have a meeting." Heero and Helen waived a good bye before turning towards each other again.  
  
"Father Maxwell is everybody's hope and father. Mine also. Duo looks up to him and respects him. I'm sure that Duo would be just as great as Father Maxwell when he grows up, if he grows up." Helen rolled her eyes and Heero suppressed his laughed. "Well, I think Duo is great as he is."  
  
"Please, you guys make me blush."  
  
Heero looked in the direction Helen had come from and saw his friend's happy face. He smiled back before a tiny hand found it's way in Heero's big hand. Looking down, he saw the little girl smiling towards him. "Up again?"  
  
Heero nodded and lifted her up. Helen smiled and Duo came over to his silent friend. "Strange. Seems like Suzanne's quite fond off ya, Hee-chan. She came here last week and she's normally very shy when it comes to strangers. She didn't accept me until I helped her find her teddy bear last night." Helen laughed and patted Duo's shoulder. "Duo's the master in finding hidden and lost teddy bears. Just last week he found three teddy bears in a tree." Duo gave a strange laughter and Helen smiled before she disappeared back into the room she came from.  
  
Heero smiled and brushed some locks of hair away from her round face. "Well, she's quite adorable." Duo walked over and the girl stretched out her arm so Duo could take her. "Yeah, she is. And aren't you in luck, little missy. You're coming with us on your little trip today."  
  
"Yay." Bouncing in Duo's arms, she gave him a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Duo grinned and let her down. "Go get dress, little one." Brushing his hand trough his bangs, Duo smiled and looked after her. "She's just five ya know. That's way too soon to lose her parents."  
  
Heero didn't say anything, but he had been that exact age when Duo had lost his parents. "What happened to them?"  
  
Duo looked down. "Her mother died when giving birth to her and her father raised her all by himself. Then, on his way to work, he was gunned down."  
  
Heero bit his lower lip. "That's horrible."  
  
"Yeah," Duo whispered and looked at his friend with a sad look on his face. Then his face broke into a big smile. "But let us not talk about sad stuff. I promised you a good time, didn't I?"  
  
Heero nodded and Duo grabbed his arm. "Come on, Hee-chan. I'll introduce you to the rest of the kids. You've only met one of the kids you're spending the day with. You got four more to go." Heero laughed and let himself be dragged through the building. His friend's energy and mood was contagious and Heero had no intension of looking for a cure. He was more than happy to let the black clothed tornado into his life and presence.  
  
Duo dragged him while he talked about everything they were going to do and how much fun they would have. Heero smiled and squeezed Duo's hand a little harder, just to let him know that he was listening. Taking a left turn, Duo led them in to what looked like a play room were 4 little kids, 2 boys and 2 girls, were waiting, all dressed in rubber jackets and pants, as well as boots.  
  
Slinging his arm around Heero's shoulder, Duo grinned to the kids. "Alright, brats. I wanna introduce you to a friend of mine. Everybody, this is Heero. Heero, this is everybody." The kids greeted him with cheers and shouting and he could help but smile. Raising a hand, he smiled gently. "Hi chibi's."  
  
The room fell silent after Heero's greeting and Duo looked at him while trying to suppress a laugh. A little boy with freckles and red hair came up to him. "Duo? What did he call us?"  
  
Duo snorted because of suppressed laughed and dried away a tear. "I don't know, but the word was funny." Heero kicked himself mentally. Of course they didn't know what chibi meant.  
  
"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean it as an insult. Chibi is Japanese for 'little people' or kids." Duo just smiled. "Ah, don't worry. These kids don't take anything as an insult. Didn't ya hear me when I called them brats just five minutes ago? They're just curious on new words."  
  
The little boy stared at Heero with big green eyes before the little round face broke into a big smile. Raising a hand for Heero to shake, he pronounced proudly. "Hiya! I'm Michael. I'm 8 years old and I'm very pleased to meet you."  
  
Heero shook his hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you too." Duo smiled and gathered the rest of the kids. "Okay, time for some introductions here." Pointing at Michael, he grinned. "As he said just five seconds ago, that's Michael. He's the eldest in the group. Well, except me. And this little lady with heavily blue eyes and blond hair is six year old Sandra. This black haired punk is six year old Joey. Annie you met yesterday, but there she is, and-"Turning around, Duo tried to locate the last missing kid while Heero memorized each kid face, age and name.  
  
Suddenly popping up at the door, little Suzanne came running towards Duo and jumped into his arms. Duo grinned and turned towards Heero. "And the last little member is Suzanne as you already know." Heero smiled while Duo dropped the girl down and lined the kids up. Standing up like a general in front of them, he scanned through the little group.  
  
"Alright, men. And girls," he added with a wink. "Today's mission is a trip to the park. Is all men and women presence?"  
  
"Yes," the kids yelled while giggling. Heero couldn't help but smile while he watched.  
  
"Good," Duo yelled. "Now, equipment checks! Raincoats check! Rubber pants check! Rubber boots, check! Little colorful hats check!" Making up a list of silly things, Duo checked every kid to make sure they were dressed properly, had a bottle of water in their backpacks as well as a sandwich, plus extra socks if they got wet.  
  
Saluting his little army, Duo smiled. "Good job, men! You are all fit for duty! But I can see that we have forgotten to check one of our soldiers." Duo looked at Heero with a devilish grin and all of a sudden, he was walking around him while lifting up the hem of his jacket.  
  
"Well, soldiers. He's wearing a sweater made of wool, worn-out jeans, sneakers, and a rather thin jacket. Is he fit for duty, soldiers?"  
  
Heero smirked and grabbed Duo's arm, turning him so his back was against Heero's body. "Well, general. I think you should look at your own equipment before you start picking on others." Pulling at the arm of Duo's own sweater, he grinned before releasing him. "A thin black sweater with a turtleneck, too-tight-for-your-own-good pants and black boots. And I guess to finish up the image; you will wear your leather jacket?" Raising an eyebrow, Heero smirked and Duo laughed. "Okay, okay. So I'm not exactly dressed for a trip in the park. Sue me."  
  
Annie came over and gently pulled at the arm of Duo's sweater. "Excuse me, but shouldn't we go soon?"  
  
Duo smiled and gave her the v-sign. "Right you are dolly. Time for us to go. Company, MARCH!"  
  
The kids 'yay'ed and ran out the door with Heero and Duo walking calmly after, for a while. After Duo grabbed his jacked, he ran after them and started to goof around just like the kids. Heero watched them calmly as they ran in circles on the road and smiled. Watching Duo like this really stirred something in his soul. The way he smiled, the way his eyes closed as he lifted a kid under his arm, the way he laughed. They were all signs of true happiness. As he continued to watch his braided friend, he didn't notice were they went. Not until-  
  
"Heero!!!" Heero's eyes widened in fear and he spun around just in time to see a massive pile of pink coming his way. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned. Duo was beside him with a serious look on his face and all the kids were behind him.  
  
When Relena saw Heero's company, she stopped and gave a sickly fake smile. "My, Maxwell. I didn't see you there. Out to walk the kids again?"  
  
Clenching his other hand into a fist, Duo gave a smile that was just as fake as the pink menace. "Well, you know me. If I'm not out there humping some strangers ass I'm out walking the kids."  
  
Relena smiled sweetly and brushed a strain of hair out of her face. "Well, if you think about that little comment I gave you last history class, I was only mentioning your style of clothing."  
  
Glaring, Duo bit his lip. "Yeah? I'm still surprised how you managed to go from style of clothing to humping strangers."  
  
Smirking, she moved towards Heero. "Well, those pants were a little tight. Not to mention they were in leather." Still glaring, Duo watched as Relena grabbed Heero's arm. Relena smirked. She knew Duo couldn't say anything with the kids around him. He was too wise for that. Licking her lips, she turned towards Heero, who had a sickening look on his face. "Well, Heero," she purred. "How about you and I take a nice little walk home to my place. I'm sure I can give you some refreshments there."  
  
Heero looked at her with a look of total disgust and gently slipped his arm out of Relena's embrace. "I think I'll pass. Besides, I've already promised my free time to Duo." Duo's face lightened up and Heero walked so he could stand next to his braided friend. "And just for the record, Darlian. Don't mock Duo's style again. I happen to like those pants. They look good on him."  
  
Relena huffed before she turned and walked straight past them in an annoyed manner. Heero smirked and turned to look at Duo. Duo gave him the v-sign and a grin of his own. "Thanks, Hee-chan. Both for backing me up and for your lovely comment of my leather pants. I could have gotten her, but with the kids..."  
  
Heero patted his friend on the shoulder and grabbed Suzanne's hand. "Don't think about it, Duo. Just lead us too the park."  
  
"Right you are!"  
  
The second they entered the park, all the children spread out to the different areas of the park. Heero desperately tried to gather the kids in one place so it would be easier to keep an eye on them, but realized soon that it was impossible. Duo smiled and patted his shoulder.  
  
"Don't ya worry. I haven't lost one kid, yet. They're smart and they know that they're not supposed to go so far away that they can't see me." Heero smiled, but he still didn't relax. He needed them to be organized. Duo sighed when he saw the tension in Heero's jaws.  
  
"Would ya relax if I gather the lot of them?"  
  
Heero nodded and Duo scratched his neck. "Geez, you really are a neat freak, aren't you? You want me to catalogue them after hight and hair color too?" Giving him a glare, Heero didn't say anything. Duo sweat drooped before he shook his head. Turning towards a pond, he yelled:  
  
"Okay, soldiers. Gather up and play where we can see ya!" In a couple of seconds, the kids were back and Duo grinned towards his silent friend. "Happy now?"  
  
Heero nodded and finally relaxed. He sat down on the soft grass, but now a new thought was presence. The fact that Heero couldn't believe him when Duo had said he had full control when the kids spread. After all, he had more experience on this subject than Heero had. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice when Duo sat down next to him.  
  
"Stop beating yourself up, buddy. You just like things organized." Heero raised an eyebrow. He was startled that Duo had read his mind like that, but he didn't show it.  
  
"I just have to have things were I can see them. But then again, you have more experience at this department than I have." Duo smiled and gave him the thumbs up. They sat like that, quiet, just watching the kids, when Heero spoke up.  
  
"You take care of them a lot, or?"  
  
Duo shook his head. "Nah, not really. I play with them after school, and I sometimes take them on trips like this. But not often. Just when we're short on people. Father Maxwell and Helen want me to have a life outside of the orphanage. Ya know, hang out with my friends. Play with the band. But I don't mind taking care of the kids when I have too. Not at all." Duo smiled and closed his eyes.  
  
"People are so up in them selves that they miss the little things in life. They don't... Appreciate the small pleasures of life. A kid that's laughing, petting a dog or a cat. Spending time with your loved ones. Spending time with the one, you love. People have forgotten how to enjoy themselves. It's just work, money and more work"  
  
Looking at his Japanese friend, he smiled. "It's none of my business and I don't wanna insult anybody, but I'll take your parents as an example. When was the last time they enjoyed themselves together. And I'm not talking about the stuff that's happening in their bedroom."  
  
Heero chewed on his lower lip, before softly replying. "It's been a while since my mum and dad have been alone. I mean, my dad's a doctor and my mum's a nurse. They hardly got any time for each other. When my dad twisted his ankle, he was able to spend a little more time with her, but my mums been working a lot of overtime lately."  
  
Duo nodded. "They forget to take care of themselves. Sure, a family needs certain elements to survive. Food, a place to stay. But they forget the glue that binds a family together. Love and affection. The fact that you have to show that you care, not to bring home a box of Ramen noodles."  
  
"Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"  
  
Smiling, Duo leaned back towards a tree. "I just want you to relax and enjoy this moment. Life's too short to be wasted away." Heero nodded and watched as the kids played near the pond. He was kind of worried that they could fall into it, but the pond was only a foot deep. And Duo was keeping an eye on them. Closing his eyes, he let himself relax. Lying his body down at the soft grass, he began to doze off. But after a while he started to fell light tugging at the hem of his jacket. Opening his eyes Heero started straight into big, blue ones.  
  
"Suzanne?" Getting up, he noticed that Duo wasn't sitting next to him anymore. Scanning the area, he spotted him near the pond. He was laughing and struggled to keep his balance as Michael had wrapped his arms and feats around Duo's leg. Annie was hanging from one arm while Joey was carried under the other. Sandra was lying on the ground, giggling like a maniac. Suzanne tugged at Heero's jacket again and Heero looked at her. "Play with us."  
  
Heero looked at her and Suzanne grabbed his hand to pull him up. Getting onto his feet, Suzanne started to pull him towards the group. "He wants you to come and play with us."  
  
Heero just let himself be pulled, a little confused. Duo knew he wasn't any good at playing. Releasing himself from the giggling kids, Duo ran over towards Suzanne and Heero. When they met, Duo bent over, catching his breath. When he finally looked up again, his eyes sparkled with mischief. "Are you gonna sit over there all day, or are you going to playing?"  
  
Looking down, Heero loosened the grip he didn't realize he had around Suzanne's little hand. "Duo," he mumbled. "I'm not a good playmate. I don't know what to do."  
  
"Well, you can just stand there and let the kids use you to climb on. Or you can just follow my example." Grabbing Suzanne, Duo carefully wrestled her down onto the ground and started tickling her. Suzanne started giggling and soon she was wiggling on the ground. When she started hiccupping, Duo stopped. Suzanne looked at him with a big smile, tears running down her eyes. She was still giggling, but she'd started to calm down. Looking up at his friend, Duo grinned. "See? It's as simple as that."  
  
Heero smirked and walked over to the other kids. Bending down, he whispered something into their ears, leaving the braided teen very curious. "Hey! What's going on over there?"  
  
Heero and the kids ignored him, and Duo and Suzanne just stared at their backs with big eyes. With a final pat on Michaels back, Heero smirked. The kids lined up and Duo just knew that something was going to happen. With him.  
  
With a last smirk in Duo's direction, Heero yelled "ATTACK!" and before Duo got the chance to sort out what the hell was going on, the kids were all over him and tackling him to the ground. They tickled and hung on to anything they could reach and Duo was reduced to a pile of laughing goo at the ground.  
  
"I......... pant Yield.........! pant Surrender........." The kids cheered and Heero was standing a little away from them, laughing. Duo smirked and tried to gain his breath back. 'Time for payback', he grinned. He got onto his feet and took a running start and then...  
  
Heero laughed while he dried away some tears. The look on Duo's face had been priceless and he'd just proven himself for the kids. He'd proved that even though he was silent, he could still be fun. Suddenly, he heard rapidly approaching footsteps. He turned-- BAM! Duo tackled him into a full on glomp. They both tumbled to the ground and rolled over a couple times before their momentum stilled. Duo lay on the ground, laughing crazily as Heero leaned over him. Duo's closed eyes fluttered open and before Heero knew what Duo did, he straddled his hips and pinned Heero down under him.  
  
"Revenge is sweet, Yuy. Do you yield?"  
  
Heero glared and Duo's face inched closer, still wearing that annoying grin. Beautiful, but annoying. Then, Heero's face softened into a smile. Lifting his head from the ground, he smirked. "Depends on the terms of surrender."  
  
Duo smirked, but didn't say anything. Heero just continued to gaze into Duo's eyes. They were so close, only inches between them. He could feel Duo's breath on his lips. He could see Duo's Adams apple move under the turtleneck and swallowed too. So close.  
  
"Duo, I'm hungry." Snapping their heads away from each other, each teen stared at kids.  
  
"Hungry. Right, no problem. Time for lunch, huh?" Duo blushed and released Heero. Helping him up, he gently smiled and followed the kids towards a picnic area. Heero silently followed them, not daring to believe how close Duo had been just seconds ago.  
  
Lunch passed quickly and after an hour more of play, Duo announced that it was time to head back. Lifting up an almost asleep Suzanne, Heero followed Duo. All too soon they were back at the orphanage, and after he'd sent the kids inside, Duo turned towards Heero.  
  
"Didn't I tell ya we would have fun?"  
  
Heero nodded. Duo checked his watch and sighed. "Dinnertime. And its' still my turn to do the dishes. And I promised Helen I would help her shopping. Guess I'll be busy for the rest of the day."  
  
Heero nodded. "Hai, me too. I still have some homework to finish, and my dad probably need some help. My mum's working nightshift today so..."  
  
Nodding, Duo removed a straw from Heero's hair. "You busy tomorrow? Thought we could catch up with your guitar lessons. Quatre borrowed my guitar for the weekend."  
  
Heero nodded. "Tomorrow then. You call me or?"  
  
"I'll call, or you'll wake me up, early bird." Sticking out his tongue at Heero, Duo opened the front door. Waiving, he smiled. "Tomorrow then, Hee- chan."  
  
"Hai. Tomorrow."  
  
If only tomorrow could be today.  
  
Author's Notes: Again, sorry for being so late. Hope this long chapter (hey, it is long!) is enough to make ya happy again. Hope you haven't given up on me just yet. I'll never give up! runs around here room, screaming 'I will survive!' What do you think? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. points at the review button Thankee! And remember what I say. Hugs and Gundam pilots too those who reviews. The rest gets Relena. shivers 


	13. Q, T means cutie

New Hope Home  
  
New chappie. Now, we get some action here. Well, not really. But we get the first pairing. That's right! Read and find out. But the main pairing is still under process. But it will happen soon. Really soon. laughs like a maniac   
  
"Q, T means cutie:"  
  
A week later another Saturday had approached and the streets were quiet. At the moment. Running like hell was a Japanese teen with chocolate bangs and Prussian blue eyes on his way down the street. His face was flushed and his jaws were tense. He was late. For the first time in his life he was late. Heero Yuy was late.  
  
Cursing his father for needing help down the stairs this morning, he ran even faster to reach the already started band practice. He couldn't believe that he was so late. When Duo had called, he'd told him he'd meet him there in five minutes so there was no need to wait for him. Damn it! He hurried trough the gates to Quatre's house, rang the bell, and waited. Damn, was Rashid this slow on purpose?  
  
After what seemed like an eternity Rashid opened the door. "Nice to see you again, Master Heero. Master Quatre and the others are waiting upstairs for you."  
  
"Arigato, Rashid." Heero nodded and slipped off his shoes before starting the way up towards the third floor. Walking down the hall towards the music room, he could hear the faint sound of music. As he got closer, the sound got stronger until it was clear as crystal. The sound of a violin and a flute was heard the clearest with just a hint of drums and guitar in the background.  
  
Gently slipping inside, he took a seat next to the door and watched the others play. Quatre was playing his violin and Trowa was playing the flute. Wufei gently tapped his drums while Duo played his ever so faithful guitar. The melody was beautiful and Heero closed his eyes so he could enjoy the beautiful sounds.  
  
When the music stopped, he opened his eyes and clapped. Quatre looked up and smiled. "Heero. We were worried about you. It's not like you to be this late."  
  
Duo snickered. "Yeah. Quatre was worried sick and was just seconds away from sending Rashid out to find ya." Closing his eyes, Duo smiled. "But we told him to wait a little bit longer. You probably had something unexpected to fix up. Like running from Relena or something. But we agreed that if you hadn't showed up when this melody was finished we would call you."  
  
Wufei snorted. "No need to worry. Yuy is a big boy. He can take care himself. Right?" Cracking an eye up, Wufei looked at Heero, just to make sure that Heero really could take care of himself. Heero gave him a glare. "I'm fully capable of taking care of myself."  
  
Duo smirked and walked over to sit down next to him. Playing with the strings, he looked at his friend. "Yeah. But even the mightiest one of us needs help sometimes, ne? Gods knows how many times we've saved each others asses. Right guys?"  
  
Trowa and Quatre nodded and sat down next to them, but Wufei only snorted while muttering something about 'weaklings'. Duo just shock his head and yelled 'Take's one to know one, Wu—man', something that made Wufei splutter out some random words. Heero chose to ignore him and turned to his braided friend.  
  
"That melody you were playing. I haven't heard anything like it. Have you made it yourself?"  
  
Duo grinned. "Sort of. Q-man was playing his violin one day and Trowa just decided to join him with the flute. Later I joined them with some background tunes and finally Wufei cooked up some use for the drums. The result; The QT melody. [1]"  
  
"Cutie?"  
  
Duo smirked while Trowa and Quatre looked away, a little flush on their faces. "No, Q and T. As in the first letters in Trowa's and Quatre's names. Q and T means cutie. Got it? It's kind of their song."  
  
Heero nodded. "Smart." Then he added with a little smirk. "And cute." Duo looked at him before bursting into laughter. A 'Grow up, Maxwell' was heard from Wufei's direction and Trowa just shook his head. Quatre smiled and decided to change the subject. "Well, Hilde couldn't be with us today and we haven't really found any song we need to practice on. Duo wanted to do that Vertical Horizon song, 'I'm Still Here', but we haven't found the notes for it yet. And we need someone to sing with him."  
  
"Can't you do it?"  
  
"Quatre doesn't have the voice to do it." Drying away some tears, Duo leaned over towards the others. "Even though our desert prince has a lovely light tenor, his voice doesn't fit. Besides, he's gonna do the keyboard while Trowa's doing the mixing, if there is any. I haven't figured that out yet." Deep in thoughts, Duo sat back and left the conversation.  
  
Quatre laughed. "Anyways, we were discussing what to do if we decided not to rehearse today and decided to go the movies. You wanna come?"  
  
Heero nodded. "Sure thing. Don't have anything else to do and I really don't wanna spend the rest of the day with my father. He's grumpy because of his foot."  
  
Duo woke up from his mentally trip and leaned towards the others. "Speak of the devil, when will your dad be back on his feet?"  
  
"Another week or so. Depends on how much he uses it."  
  
"So he's gonna be stuck home a couple of weeks longer, huh?"  
  
Heero nodded. "Hai. Especially if he decides to try the stairs again. He tried them yesterday and he almost fell down." Duo snorted. "I can see were you got your determination from, Hee-chan."  
  
"Baka."  
  
"Love you too, Hee-chan."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Heero turned towards Quatre and Trowa. "So, what movie are we gonna see?"  
  
Trowa shrugged. "We don't know yet. Our plan is just to show up and see what's on." Lifting an eyebrow, Heero smirked. "Sounds like a plan Duo cooked up." Smiling, Trowa nodded. "How did you guess?"  
  
"Hey, what's wrong with it? It's a good plan. Besides, being spontaneous is fun." Duo gave his best pout and crossed his arms. Heero looked at him, one eyebrow still raised and with a smirk. "You're being spontaneous if just walked past the Cineplex and decided to watch a movie. This has been discussed and agreed too."  
  
"Well, we're being spontaneous when it comes to the movie."  
  
Heero snorted and shook his head. "Duo no baka." Grinning, Duo threw his arm around Heero's neck from the side and pinched his nose with the other. "Watch the language, Mr. Asian man."  
  
Rubbing his nose, Heero gave him his best glare, even though it was impossible to stay annoyed with the braided teen. Duo just grinned and released him. Shaking his head, Heero turned towards Quatre and Trowa. And stared.  
  
The two of them were whispering with their heads close together. Duo leaned over Heero and poked Trowa's shoulder. "Hey. What're ya whispering about?"  
  
Startled, Trowa jerked his head back, a nice little flush marking his face. Quatre cleared his throat, and blushed as well. "Nothing. We were just wondering what kind of transportation we should use to get to the Cineplex." "Can't we just take the bus?"  
  
Quatre shook his head. "But you can't take the bus, Duo."  
  
Duo waived his hand and smiled. "Hey, I can take a little drive.  
  
Raising his eyebrow, Heero looked at them. "Why can't Duo take the bus?"  
  
"Because the braided baka gets bus-sick and throws up. That's why." The Chinese teen had finally decided to talk and Heero's eyes were fixed against him. Duo snorted. "Not all the time. Besides, I can do if it's just into town. And I don't throw up!"  
  
"You did last time." Wufei grinned and Duo blushed. "Well, it was a long trip and I'd just eaten a Milky Way..." Heero smiled. "Well, we can always use our feet's. Or I could ask my dad if I could borrow the car. But it's highly doubtful that I can..."  
  
"But ya got your license, haven't you?"  
  
Heero nodded. "But it doesn't mean I can borrow the car."  
  
Duo raised his eyebrow and looked at his Japanese friend. "You're dad is a nice guy, isn't he." Heero glared at his braided friend. "I know, my father is very old fashioned and strict, but you don't have to be sarcastic, Duo."  
  
Duo looked down and ran his hand trough his bangs. "Well, excuse me! But I still have a hard time forgetting the way he treated you when he first saw us. I don't give a rat's ass what he thinks about me, I just don't want him to let his issues get over you." Looking up, Duo sighed. "That's all, Hee- chan."  
  
Gently smiling, Heero nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Duo, but I can handle him. Besides, he's accepted the fact that you guys are my friends."  
  
Lifting his eyebrow, Duo just nodded. He still hasn't talked to Heero's father so he didn't really know him, but he knew the type. Once a homophobe always a homophobe, and if you were one you don't just change your mind over night. A small voice was lurking at the back of his head, warning him that Heero's dad probably hadn't said his last words about the issue. But for now, he would keep quiet about it. Besides, the same voice told him that Heero was probably aware about the same things. Sighing, Duo told his mind that Heero was probably alert on his father and would tell them if he said something.  
  
Quatre cleared his throat and tapped his watch. "We really should get going guys, or we won't make any movies at all."  
  
Duo nodded and got up. "Right, Q-man. We take the bus or?"  
  
Quatre shook his head. "No, I'll ask if Rashid can drive us. I'm sure one of his men can do it." Duo nodded and pulled Heero onto his feet. "Come on, Hee-chan. Let's get dressed while Q-man asks Rashid if he can give us a lift." Heero nodded and let Duo drag him away, just as he always did.  
  
And he was always happy to let it happen.  
  
"Okay, we got some choices here, people. We can go for a romantic comedy, plain comedy, splatter movie, thriller, horror or a sickly sweet chick- flick." Turning, Duo laid his hands on his hips and looked at his comrades. "I don't know about you, but I wanna skip the chick-flick, but that still leaves us with quite a few choices."  
  
Heero looked over the program, quickly reading about the movies. "I agree. No chick-flicks. And I'm not in the mood for any horror movies."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Me neither. And I don't wanna see any platter movies tonight. I don't think I can stomach it."  
  
Wufei snorted. "Agreed, but it's not because I can't stomach it. I just thinks it's so badly made." Duo smirked and gave Wufei a wink. "Sure, Wu- man. And when we cut up a pig's hearts in biology last year you didn't pas out."  
  
Wufei blushed and muttered 'Shut up, Maxwell', before excusing himself to the bathroom. Duo snorted and turned towards Trowa who looked like he was on another planet. Walking towards him, Duo snapped his fingers to wake the tall teen from his trance. "Yo, Trowa. Get back down to earth wills ya?"  
  
Trowa jumped at the sound of Duo's voice and blushed. Duo grinned. "Find me that scary, huh? Maybe the name Shinigami fits me better than I thought." Trowa didn't say anything and Duo patted his shoulder. "Don't ya worry, T- bone. Just tell us what movie you don't wanna see so we can agree on a movie we wanna see."  
  
Scanning the program, Trowa pointed at the romantic comedy. Duo nodded. "Okay, no romance for you. Then the only thing left is comedy. And we can choose between two movies according to the program."  
  
Walking towards Duo, Heero looked over his braided friends shoulder. "Which?" Pointing at the names, Duo looked at Heero. "These two. 'Bruce Almighty' and 'The Haunted Mansion'."  
  
Pointing at the program, Heero lifted an eyebrow. "Isn't 'The Haunted Mansion' a horror movie? I really don't wanna see anything with poorly made ghosts and a cheap plot."  
  
Smirking, Duo looked at Heero from the corner of his eyes. "Too scary for ya, Hee-chan? Don't worry, if you're scared I can make room for you on my lap. That is, if Wu-man is willing to move over to one knee or something."  
  
"Ha-ha," Heero replied dryly and Duo grinned. "I'm only messing with ya. Besides, 'The Haunted Mansion' is half horror, half comedy. More comedy than horror though." Quatre shook his head. "Let' us save that movie for later. I wanna see 'Bruce Almighty'."  
  
Duo nodded. "I'm with you on that one. I'm in the mood for some Jim Carrey." Trowa just nodded and Duo turned towards Heero. "What do you say? Wanna go for Murphy or Carrey?"  
  
"Carrey. As Quatre said, let's save the other one for later."  
  
Duo nodded. "Now we only miss Wu-man's vote. Is he still in the bathroom?" Quatre nodded. "I think so. But I don't think he minds if we just by the tickets. He never pays attention to the movies anyway."  
  
Duo nodded. Grinning towards his Japanese friend, he pointed towards the ticket shop. "Come on, Hee-chan! To infinity and beyond! Or at least to the ticket stands."  
  
Heero just laughed.  
  
"Wasn't that fucking awesome?! I thought I was gonna die of laughter when that monkey came out of the dude's butt!"  
  
Duo was rambling about the highlights of the movie and the rest just nodding behind him. Turning his attention towards Heero, he grinned. "Wasn't it great?"  
  
Heero smirked. "The movie was a little simple for me, but it had it's moments. It was entertaining enough."  
  
Pouting, Duo placed his hands on his hips. "You're no fun." Then his pout was replaced with a grin and he swung his hand around Heero's shoulder. "But you can't fool me, Hee-chan. I heard you laughing beside me."  
  
Giving his friends a friendly thwap over the head, Heero smiled. "As I said, the movie had it's moments." Sticking out his tongue to Heero, Duo turned his head towards Quatre and Trowa. And stopped. "Quatre? Trowa? Is there something you wanna tell us?"  
  
Heero turned along with Wufei and both Asian teens raised their eyebrows. The tall Latino teen and the petite blonde was standing next to each other, holding hands and blushing.  
  
Duo raised one of his eyebrows and smiled. "I repeat, is there something you wanna tell us? Like, how long this has been going on?"  
  
Quatre blushed a deeper red and turned towards his silent partner. Looking back at the others, he smiled. "Well, Trowa and I have decided to go steady."  
  
Duo clapped and grinned. "That's great! How long have you liked each other? When did you decide to get together? How long have you fooled around? Tell me everything, Q-man!"  
  
Trowa squeezed Quatre's hand and smiled to. "I've been interested in him every since I met him. He told me he liked me last year, about the same time he came out. We've seen each other since then, but we decided to come out with the relationship today. We just...wanted to make sure that we would last."  
  
Clapping again, Duo ran over to give his two friends a hug. "That's great! I'm so happy for you. I just knew that you two were meant for each other!"  
  
Heero walked over and patted Trowa's back. Smiling towards the blond, he winked. "Congratulations to you both. I'm happy for you."  
  
Everybody turned towards Wufei and stared at him. Raising his hand, Duo gently approached him. "Wufei? Don't you have anything you want to say to Trowa and Quatre?" Wufei smirked a look at the two said teens. "Congratulations to both of you. Just don't go making out in front of me. That I can't stomach, because you two are too damn sweet for your own good together."  
  
Everybody just laughed before stopping at the McDonalds to celebrate. Wufei complained about the fact that the McDonalds wasn't a good place to celebrate, while Duo said that it was twice as cozy as any fancy restaurant. Besides, they could celebrate the happy couple when the weekend came. They did have school the next morning after all. Trowa and Quatre agreeing with the fact that they could celebrate later, and Heero...even though he was happy that the two of them was together, he couldn't help but feeling a little stab of jealousy 'because they was experiencing something he never had. Loving and be loved by another human being you were willing to share your life with. Somebody you trusted. Somebody you were willing to die for.  
  
Looking at his braided friend, he smiled. Maybe he would experience it someday. But today, he just wanted to celebrate the get-together of two good friends.  
  
Author's Notes: [1] When I'm writing this I'm thinking about that time Quatre and Trowa played together in the desert (Quatre and Trowa instrumental). You can hear the drums and the guitar in it. I just thought it fitted so good.   
  
Okay, a quick ending. I'm planning my next chapter and I just had to end it. I just didn't find any good was to end it. What do you think? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. points at the review button Thankee! And remember what I say. Hugs and Gundam pilots too those who reviews. The rest gets Relena. shivers 


	14. Bitch

New Hope Home  
  
New chappie!!! Okay, so far we've followed Heero and his emotions towards Duo, but what is our braided friend feeling towards our Hee-chan? Read and find out, people. One question though. Why is Relena allowed to live in the first place? Why couldn't she be killed during the series? Why? WHY? I mean, why couldn't Heero or Duo or anybody just step on her with their mobile suit? I mean, they could just say it was an accident. Mobile Suits are frigging huge and Relena is a small piece of shit. I'm seriously thinking about killing her in this fic. She's gonna be hurt at least, mentally or physically. Everybody, let's sign up on the 'KILL RELENA SLOW AND PAINFULLY' list and make the day of thousands of Gundam fans, and the Gundam pilots.  
  
P.S. My muse is still missing. Big reward to the one that gives the tip that will solve this case and bring my muse safely back to me. It has big elf ears and a black hair braided in a......... Erm, braid. It wears a blue cape and runs around without shoes.  
  
"Bitch:"  
  
"Isn't it great? I mean, everybody has seen the way they're acting when they're near each other. You can cut the sexual tension between them with a knife."  
  
It was the next day and Heero and Duo was standing outside Heero's math class, talking and waiting for the bell to ring.  
  
"Hai. They're just meant for each other. Like two pieces in a puzzle."  
  
"Like salt and pepper."  
  
"Chicken and rice."  
  
"A train and it's station."  
  
Laughing, Heero slapped his friend's arm. "Enough with the comparing. Let's just settle with meant for each other, shall we?"  
  
Winking, Duo grinned. "You got that right. I just knew that they were fooling around."  
  
Heero smiled. "Well, what they do is their business. Who are we to decide what they should do?"  
  
Duo nodded and scratched his neck. "Damn, you've picked up my way of thinking pretty fast, Yuy. I think I've started to rub off on you."  
  
Heero smirked. "I've known that a long time, but you say that as if it's a bad thing."  
  
Raising his hands, Duo smiled. "Well, that depends. Some people will say it's good, some will say it's bad. What's important is how you feel about it."  
  
Leaning closer, Heero whispered. "I feel it's a good thing. I've never felt so alive as I do when I'm with you. You make me smile and have fun. You make me enjoy life instead of wasting it." Leaning from his friends' face, he smirked. "And I'm looking forward to the day you'll teach me to play the guitar."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Duo looked mildly impressed. "Wow, Hee-chan. You've said more stuff now than you usually do in one week. Me and the guys must be a really good influence on you."  
  
Laughing, Heero ran a hand trough his hair. "You have no idea, Duo. You have no idea."  
  
Duo glanced to his side and saw Heero's math teacher appear. A quick peak at his watch and he cursed. "I may have no idea about the influence thingy, but I have a pretty good idea what Treize would do to me if I'm late." Heero nodded and waived as Duo yelled, "See ya at lunch! Save me a seat!" Sighing, Heero followed the teacher inside. Math would be so much better if Duo was there to keep him company, but the braided teen was in another math group. Settling down, Heero started working while the teacher was talking.  
  
Cursing, Duo made his way through the hall. Treize's science class was on the other side of the freaking building and he had completely forgotten the time. He always did when he was talking to Heero. Mainly because he just wanted to talk to the Japanese all the time. He had one minute or so to get there, but Treize was always early. Duo couldn't remember one time that the teacher had been late or absent. Maybe he saved those day's for the week- end or something.  
  
Quickly running around the corner, he ran into the one person that could ruin a perfect day.  
  
"My, my, my, if it isn't Maxwell. Running late?"  
  
Glaring at the girl, Duo snorted. Why did she have to come now? He didn't have one smart comment or reply ready. "You'd love that, wouldn't ya. Another mark on your "Duo stinks" list. To bad it's a common thing I do. Being late, that is."  
  
'Oh, good one. Real good one. Even the kids at the orphanage could have figured out something better,' Duo though and swore under his breath. Relena laughed.  
  
"What? No smart ass replies? That was new." Relena giggled and Duo had to remind himself that it was impolite to hit girls. Clenching his fists together, he smirked and raised his head. "Well, everybody gets a shock every time you come waltzing down in that pink outfit of yours. You can burn a man's eyes out, not to mention that you're a possible danger to the traffic when you're walking down the streets. Don't ya know it's illegal to wear colors that may shock the driver and make him lose concentration over the vehicle?"  
  
Relena's face grimaced in anger and took a lovely shade of red. Duo smirked and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I always though that you looked better in red, Darlian. It shows your close relationship with the devil, but I must say that the devil is far more attractive than you." Leaning back up, he stuck out his tongue. "I guess we all know who inherited the beauty in your family, huh? Guess we could say that your bother Zechs got the beauty and the brain while you got stuck with the horn and tale."  
  
Waiving, Duo walked passed, not bothering to speed up. The class had already stared and the best he could hope for was too sneak in when Treize was lost in the world of science, but of course no such luck.  
  
"You got your tongue sorted out well, Maxwell, I'll give you that. Too bad your emotions isn't as sorted out."  
  
Freezing, Duo stopped. Turning around slowly, he could se the grinning face. "And what is that supposed to mean, Darlian? Another smart ass comment about my preferences?"  
  
Smirking, Relena walked closer. "I guess you could say that."  
  
Freezing up completely, Duo was about to panic. He did not like that look. Leaning forward, it was Relena's turn to whisper in Duo's ear. "I know what you feel for him, Maxwell. To bad he will never feel the same way towards you."  
  
Gently placing a finger at Relena's forehead, Duo pushed her away. "Would you please be kind enough to stand a little away from me when you're talking. You're perfume is killing me and I didn't get a chance to hold my breath. And haven't you heard of Tic-tacs?"  
  
Ignoring Duo's comments, she slowly started to walk around him. Duo never broke the eye contact with her, but turned his head while she walked around him.  
  
"It's so pathetic. Chasing after someone, you'll never get. Lusting over them and just waiting for a chance to violate them."  
  
Raising his eyebrow, Duo cocked his head to one side, still looking at Relena. "First of all, when did I ever violate anyone? Second, what the fuck are you talking about?" Raising his finger in the air, he smirked. "And may I add a third comment to that? You should know everything about chasing after stuff you can't get. You do that every year."  
  
Relena shook her head and smiled sweetly. "Oh no, my dear Maxwell. I fully intend to get my Heero into my arms. He just needs a little time. When time's right, he'll come right to me. And leave you and those pathetic people you call friends."  
  
Clenching his fists so tight together that he could feel his nails digging into his skin, he tried desperately to calm himself down. "Don't you dare calling them pathetic and who are you dragging Heero into this all of a sudden, talking about him leaving us. He's hanging out with us by his own free will."  
  
Closing her eyes, she giggled. "Why, he feels sorry for you of course. especially you. Look at you. An 18 year old orphanage and gay as well? He's just being with you out of sympathy. No way that he looks upon you as a friend. And you're just being your poor self, lusting after him like you do with all the guys you meet."  
  
Duo's eyes widened. "W-what do you mean?"  
  
Her eyes opened again and Duo felt that her gaze was piercing his body. For the first time in his life, he was actually scared of the girl. "Oh, I know that you have a crush on him, Maxwell. Everybody can see that. The way you talk with him, the way you're always draped over him, hugging him."  
  
Swallowing, Duo tried to smirk. "I'm draped over everybody, Darlian. Doesn't matter to me if they're male or female as long as I can hang over them."  
  
Relena snorted. "True, Maxwell. True. But has it ever occurred to you that Heero might find it uncomfortable, having a gay guy draped over him?"  
  
Duo shrugged. "He hasn't complained about it. Besides, he trust me enough to know that it's just a friendly horseplay. And if he doesn't like it, he'll just come out and say so. He knows I'll understand."  
  
Shaking her head, Relena smiled and looked at him. "My, you really are clueless, aren't you? Why are you chasing after him when you know you're not meant to be?"  
  
Glaring, Duo snorted. "Why are YOU chasing him when YOU know you're not meant to be?"  
  
Smirking, she put her hands on her hips, running a casual hand through her hair. "We are meant to be, Maxwell. Can't you tell? The way he looks at me, the way we talk. But you aren't gonna take him away from me. Not this time. Not again."  
  
Throwing his hands in the air, Duo was just about ready to burst. "Listen, I didn't even like the guy you were with at Junior high! I never even looked at him! He was the one coming on to me, telling me that he loved me! I didn't even know him!"  
  
Glaring, Relena spat back. "You caught him in your web like the big slut fag you are! You seduced him and took him away from me, just to have his and my heart broken! You were jealous because I have everything you don't, soon including Heero!"  
  
Duo lowered his hands and clenched them into fists, digging his nails into the palm of his hand. Glaring back, he growled. "I don't want anything you have. I don't want a fancy house with lots of stuff. Stuff and things don't make you happy and money don't give you friends. You don't own Heero and he's not yours to take. And maybe I do feel something more that just friendship towards Heero, but I'm quite happy with just being his friend. I'm quite happy with my life as it is and unless you want to lose your teeth you better shut your trap. Go play with your Barbie-dolls or something and leave me the hell alone."  
  
Relena glared, but added a smirk to her face. "My, Maxwell. Are you going to cry? I always thought you said big boys don't cry. But then again, you're no man, not even a big boy. You are a fucking queer and a bitch just waiting to ruin people's lives and lusting after people who don't want to be near you. You are pathetic and my advice to you is to forget about Heero."  
  
Looking down, Duo bit his lower lip. He didn't have anything left. No smart comments. No insults. Nothing. Relena had emptied him and all he had left was confusion and anger. After a while, he just turned away from her, only leaving a word and a sentence for her to digest. It was a mere whisper.  
  
"Bitch......... You leave me the hell alone........."  
  
Tapping his fingers impatiently, Heero glanced at the clock on the wall. Duo was late for Literature class. He always came about 5 minutes before class started.  
  
Hearing the door creak, Heero turned his head towards it, hoping it was Duo. To his disappointment it was Mr. Adams. Damn it. Where was he?  
  
Mr. Adams settled himself down in front of the class and smiled. "Good day class. Would you please settle down so I can see who's missing?" The class fell silent and Mr. Adams scanned trough his papers. Looking up, he saw that the place beside Yuy was available. 'Odd', he thought. The two teens had become inseparable the few months they had known each other.  
  
"Mr. Yuy, do you know where Maxwell is?"  
  
Heero shook his head. "No, sir. He was here this morning, but Trowa said he never showed up in Science class and was absent in the other math class according to Wufei."  
  
Mr. Adams nodded. "I see. Have you tried to call him?"  
  
Heero nodded. "Yes, sir. But he doesn't answer. I think he forgot his phone at home." Mr. Adams nodded again and Heero raised his arm.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Gently lowering him arm, Heero swallowed. "I wondered if I may be excused from class so I can search for him. He normally doesn't leave school without telling one of his friends." Mr. Adams nodded. "Yes, you may be excused. Try to hurry back as quick as possible."  
  
Heero nodded and gently slipped out from his seat. He glanced over at Trowa, who nodded and gently pointed at the door. Heero nodded and hurried out.  
  
Once out of the classroom, he quickly scanned the empty halls and sighed. He had no idea where to start. The braided teen could be anywhere.  
  
'Fuck, Duo. Where are you? Give me a freaking sign', he though and bit his lip. When he passed one of the men's lavatories, he decided to have a quick glance inside even though he knew Duo wouldn't be in there. Something had happened during the day and clearly, Duo didn't want to be found. When the braided teen had decided not to be found, it was just about impossible to find him. But of course, that was before he had met Heero Yuy, a teen that was just as stubborn and as much patience as him.  
  
When he passed a window, he quickly scanned the outside area for any sign of his braided friend. He peeked into every empty classroom he could find and went as far as checking a girl's lavatory with a 'shut down for repair' sign on it. After a quick peak at the Headmasters waiting room, Heero was just about ready to give up. Duo clearly didn't want to be found.  
  
Passing the library on his way back, Heero decided to have a quick peak in there as well. It couldn't hurt. Entering the library, he scanned the area until-  
  
'Bingo'.  
  
Duo was sitting by a table at the most hidden away corner of the library, face in his hands.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
Glancing up, Duo scanned the room until his eyes fell on Heero. Smiling, he ran a hand trough his bangs. "Hey, Heero......... Missed me?"  
  
Heero nodded and sat down across the table so they could see each other face to face. "You didn't show up in Science today, Duo. Have you been sitting here since you left?" Duo nodded and rubbed his eyes. They showed no sign of tears, but Heero could tell that the teen was sad.  
  
"What happened, Duo? Why didn't you show up in science or Literature class?"  
  
"I needed some time alone. I needed to think." "Wanna share the story with me?" Looking at his Japanese friend, Duo could read the seriousness in the Prussian depths. "I don't know, Heero. It's embarrassing. I don't even know why I let her get to me and-"  
  
Covering Duo's lips with a finger, Heero stared into Duo's Cobalt blue eyes. "Her? Did you-?"  
  
Duo nodded and Heero removed his finger. "Yeah......... I kind of ran into her on my way to science class. I just wanted to leave, but she kept saying all these thing and I couldn't just stand there and let her insult me and the rest. She kept........." Sighing, Duo rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
"She kept saying that you despise us and just hang out with us out of pity. She said that......... That I was out to take you away from her because I'm jealous of what she has and stuff."  
  
Covering Duo's other hand with his own, Heero stared at him. "Duo......... You don't believe in that crap, do you?"  
  
"Of course not, Heero! But......... It's happened to me so many times before. That people have hung out with me out of mere pity. I know that you're not one of those people, but......... It still stings."  
  
"Duo." Sighing, Heero gave him a small smile. "You know that Relena would do anything to break you and the other guys. I don't know why I'm suddenly the object of her affections, but I don't give a rats ass about her. She's annoying and spoiled, not to mention that she's a stupid bitch with an IQ that can match a pea."  
  
Duo laughed. "Easy there, you're insulting the pea. But you're right. I really shouldn't let her get to me and I know that you're with us because you want to, not because you have too." Getting up, he smiled. "Thank you, Heero. I really needed that."  
  
Getting to his feet as well, Heero patted Duo's shoulder. "Don't mention it, Duo. Next time, just slap her so she'll shut up. After all, she doesn't go under the word 'Women'."  
  
Laughing, Duo threw his arm around Heero's shoulder and messed up his hair. "Shit, dude. I really need you the next time she picks on me." Heero smirked and pulled Duo's braid. It felt good making his braided friend happy. But he didn't have time to praise the victory. Relena had won one battle and Heero had to make sure that she had to suffer a great defeat before the day was over. He was on a mission.  
  
School was almost over and he hadn't found the pink monster until now. This was the last chance. Preparing himself as he walked after her, he mentally made a note to wash his hands after touching her.  
  
"Relena."  
  
Grabbing her arm, Heero turned the girl around so he could see her face. Not that he wanted to, but his glare wouldn't work if he stared at the back of her skull. When the pink menace saw that the boy that had dared touch her was the object from all her wet dreams, she smiled.  
  
"Heero. It's so good to see you. Can I help you with something?" Heero nodded and walked towards a private spot in the hall. He didn't care if anybody heard him, but he didn't like to have people ears dropping on him.  
  
Relena smiled sweetly and quickly adjusted her dress. Maybe if she showed some more skin. Heero looked away as she started to adjust her dress, totally aware that if she decided to show some more skin, he would throw up.  
  
"What can I do for you, Heero," she asked, a sickly sweet smile on her face. "Do you want to follow me home after we're done. I'm sure the two of us could do a lot of fun activities together." Raising an eyebrow, she licked her lips seductively.  
  
'Oh, God. I must do this before I get sick.' Taking a deep breath, he tried his best to ignore the light brushes over his arm. "Relena......... I want you to leave Duo and the rest alone." Giggling, she looked him straight into his eyes. "Oh, Heero. It's so sweet of you to defend them, but you don't have to. Maxwell's nothing more than a little whore and his friends aren't any better."  
  
Swatting her hand away, Heero glared. "How can you say that," he hissed, pushing her away from him. "How can you make up such rumors. Have you no shame? Duo and the rest are much more decent than the people you call friends. You have no right to hurt him like that, just because he likes men instead of women. I bet you wouldn't have been so nasty towards him if he was into women."  
  
Turning, Heero started to walk away only to stop when he heard her whimper. Smirking, he turned his head to face her. She was crying and streams of black ran down her cheek. Walking back, he dried away some of the tears.  
  
"Heero........."  
  
Leaning in, he whispered, smirk still on place. "And just for the record, Darlian. I think Duo is twice as hot as you are and if he asked me, I don't think I would have said no."  
  
Author's Notes: Bam, bam, bam, bam. It seems like our Japanese friend has the hots for our braided teen and our braided teen likes our Japanese friend(like we didn't know that already).What do you think? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. points at the review button Thankee! And remember what I say. Hugs and Gundam pilots too those who reviews. The rest gets Relena. shivers 


	15. Happy Halloween

New Hope Home  
  
New chappie. Okay, I know you're getting impatient and want some 2x1 or 1x2 or whatever, but I promise that it will happen soon. I just have to develop the attraction first. Well, the attraction is there, but the boys need to be certain about it. But I'm getting there and I think it'll happen before the story reaches its twentieth chapter (yes, there will be more than twenty chapters). So be patient and enjoy the new chapter.   
  
"Happy Halloween:"  
  
"Say, Heero? What you up to on Halloween?" Duo turned from his comfortable spot on Heero's bed to lie on his stomach. He'd finally dared to enter the Japanese home and was being on his best behavior when addressing Heero's father. And much to Heero's relief, his dad hadn't said anything but 'Good day, boys. You be quiet.'  
  
Heero shrugged and continued to write on his computer. "Don't know. I normally just sit at home and feed the trick or treat'ers with candy, and watching a movie. My mom and dad are working night shift today, so I'll probably end up doing it this years as well." Turning, Heero smiled. "Wanna join me? I'm sure we could make something good to eat and as you know, we have quite a collection of DVD's."  
  
Duo shook his head. "Nah, I was kind of hoping that you would join me and go trick or treating with the kids. I mean, the school's holding a Halloween dance as usual, but it's pretty boring and if you're not going to the dance......... I mean, it's much more fun being outside instead of being at home and watching a lame movie."  
  
Heero chewed on his lower lip. "I'm definitely not going to the party. I'm not particularly fond of dancing or big crowds. And I bet Relena will be there. She's still convinced that I was just joking the other day."  
  
Duo snorted. "Man, I don't think she's got brains at all. I mean, even I would have taken the hint if you were facing me like that. And you still haven't told me what you told her." Supporting his head in his hands, Duo stared at his friend. Heero swallowed and stopped typing. "I didn't say anything special except for her to leave you alone."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Duo smirked. "You know you can tell me, Hee-chan. I won't laugh."  
  
"Never mind, baka. But about tonight. You're right that it would be boring just sitting at home alone, but I haven't celebrated Halloween before. I don't know..." Sighing, Heero looked back at his friend through his bangs. "I know that we're supposed to dress up in scary costumes and knock on doors to get candy, but isn't that meant for children?"  
  
Duo laughed. "You're never too old to trick or treat. I see bunch of people doing it, both kids and grown ups. It's just that people think it would be embarrassing if they do it when they're older."  
  
Sitting up, Duo grinned. "Tell you what, Heero. How about you and I check out your closet for something you can use as a costume? Mine is already done, so no worries there. Then we'll go trick or treating with our usual trop of kids, and since they've got to be back at the orphanage early we still have some time to do what we want. So we can walk around scaring the crap out of kids or neighbors, or we could just check out the party to see if Q, T and W are there." Still grinning, Duo rested his hands behind his head. "Or we could just crash here after we deliver the kids, and watch a movie and eat popcorn until we fall asleep."  
  
With a grin, Heero shook his head and muttered "Baka" to his friend. Duo just grinned and crawled to the head of the bed while Heero started typing again. Lying down on his stomach, he supported his head in his hands and stared at his friend. "Well?"  
  
Heero stopped typing yet again and chewed on his lower lip. "Well..." Looking back at Duo, he flashed him one of the rare Heero Yuy grins. "I guess it would be fun to go trick or treating. I've never done it before and I guess it's about time I tried it out. And we could pick up a pizza after we deliver the kids and just crash here. After all, it's Halloween. I bet there's a bunch of horror movies showing and what's Halloween without a horror movie or two?"  
  
Laughing, Duo jumped up from his position on the bed and slapped Heero across the back. "That's the spirit, Hee-chan!" Grabbing Heero's hand before he could start typing again, Duo dragged him off the chair and over to his closet.  
  
"Come on, buddy. We gotta fix you a costume. It doesn't have to be fancy, heck we could just pick up a sheet and throw over you." While Duo started to rummage through Heero's closet, said owner of the closet leaned against the closet door, arms crossed over his chest.  
  
"Duo, I honestly don't think you'd find any costume material in there." Grinning, Duo peeked out from out of the closet. "You'd be surprise of what we can use as a costume, Heero. I'm an expert at that area. After all, I'm the maker of all the costumes the children wear at the orphanage." Scratching his neck, Duo smiled sheepishly. "Well, almost every costume. We can't afford to buy costumes every year so we make 'em. And I've seen Helen make beautiful princess dresses out of old curtains and ghosts out of sheets."  
  
Smiling, Heero gently pushed Duo away from his closet and closed the door. "Believe me, Duo. We won't find anything useful in there. You can only do so much with jeans' and shirt's." Smirking, he grabbed Duo's wrist and dragged him out of his room. "But the attic is another story. I'm sure we'll find something up there for both me and a handful of kids if that is needed."  
  
Laughing, Duo let himself be dragged away. "Well, now that you mention it we're still short of a couple of costumes, and Michael refuses to be a ghost again. He's been that for the last two years."  
  
Opening the attic door, Heero switched on the light and walked up. "Well, I guess being a ghost three times in a row is a little boring." Duo followed and gasped.  
  
"Whoa, dude! Check out all this stuff!" With a little bark of joy, Duo ran up pass Heero and started to examine the various items that he found. Heero followed quietly, a little smile playing on his lips. "Most of the things belonged to my grandparents and great grandparents. It's stuff that my parents couldn't bare to part with, but doesn't fit in with the rest of our furniture."  
  
Nodding, Duo gently stroked his finger over a beautiful porcelain doll. Smiling, Heero crouched down beside him. "That was my mother's doll. It used to sit on a shelf in the living room, but when I was little, it used to scare me. So she moved it to her room, but there it robbed my mum from her sleep." Sighing, Heero touched the doll's hair. "So it was moved to a closet when we still lived in San Francisco. When we moved here, it was moved up here."  
  
Duo grinned and stroked over the porcelain doll's big purple eyes. "Can't blame you for being scared. That smile is creepy, not to mention the eyes. No wonder your mum couldn't sleep with when it was in the same room as her. Those eyes must reflect even the smallest glimmer of light."  
  
Nodding, Heero stood up and walked over to an old suitcase. Gently rattling the old lock, Heero tried to open it. "We keep most of our old clothes in here. My grandparents clothes as well as my great grandparent's clothes are in that chest over there." Pointing at a large black chest, Heero managed to open the old lock and push it open.  
  
"I don't think it is any interesting in here, but maybe in that chest. The only problem is, it's locked and the key to it disappeared many years ago. We can't open it without damaging it."  
  
Duo walked over to the chest and stroked his finger over it. "You tried a locksmith?" Nodding, Heero slammed the suitcase shut and joined his friend. "Hai, but he said it would cost a bunch and he would have to damage the lock. My father refused and said he wasn't that desperate so find out what was in it."  
  
Nodding, Duo started to examine the padlock locking the chest. Curious, Heero stared at Duo's hands as they examined the lock. "Duo... What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm checking out this lock. What else?"  
  
Snorting, Heero tapped his friends shoulder. "Duo, I told you, that lock's a goner. It's rusted shut and the key is missing."  
  
Grinning, Duo turned his head to face Heero. "Who needs a key to open stuff?" Dramatically waiving his hand, Duo slipped to fingers into the mass of hair on his head, rummaging around at the base of his braid and pulled out a hairpin. Heero raised an eyebrow. "A hairpin? You wear hairpins?"  
  
Sticking out his tongue, Duo shook his head. "Nope. But Trowa forgot his house keys at home some time ago and his parents weren't home. He called me to see if I could help him to open window on the third floor, but with no trees or a latter around there ain't much you can do, no matter how tall you are." Grinning, Duo inserted the end of the hairpin into the padlock and started twisting it. "But fortunately I had a pack of hairpins in my bag. Helen asked me to buy some for her after school and I managed to pick the door open." Looking at his friend, Duo winked. "And thank God that Trowa remembered the code to the alarm or we would have made one hell of a scene."  
  
With a little click, the padlock on the chest opened and Duo gave a victory bark. "Hah! Told ya I could do it." Raising an eyebrow, Heero smirked. "Not bad, Maxwell. Not bad at all." Sticking out his tongue, Duo smirked. "You're just jealous."  
  
Taking the padlock from Duo's hands, Heero started to examine it. "It doesn't even have a scratch. Where've you learned to do that?" Smiling, Duo rested his hands behind his head. "A buddy named Howard thought me how to do it. He owns a repair shop and a scrap head down town. He taught me to repair a bunch of stuff." Smirking, he snatched the padlock from Heero's' hands. "Heck, soon I can fix cars. He let's me help out in the shop sometimes, he even pays me for it. But he's been out of town for a while now."  
  
Shaking his head, Heero opened the chest. "You have confident in yourself, Maxwell. I'll give you that."  
  
Nudging his Japanese friend with his elbow, Duo gave Heero back the padlock and started to rummage trough the chest.  
  
"Dude, there's a bunch of neat stuff here!" Pulling up an old feathery scarf, Duo laughed. Wrapping it around his neck, he bashed his eyelids dramatically and made a kissing sound with his lips. Getting onto his feet, he started to walk around the attic, wiggling his hips with every move. Winking to his friend, he made a high-pitched voice. "Darling, how are you this fine evening? You look absolutely smashing!"  
  
Heero made many snorting noises before he burst into laughter. Grinning, Duo picked up an old hat with a big feather sticking out on the top and placed it on Heero's head. Pulling his Japanese friend onto his legs, he held his hand in a very snobbish way and led him over the floor. Smirking, Heero decided to play along.  
  
"My darling, Heero. That hat is absolutely fabulous. Where have you found it?" Duo placed his hands on his cheeks and pretended to gasp in admiration. Grinning, Heero bowed. "My, thank you, my dear Duo-san. And that scarf is absolutely delightful. Tell me, what kind of feathers are those?"  
  
Laughing, Duo stroked over the soft, but very dusty feathers. "My, this is 100 percent swan feathers. Only the best is good enough for my tender neck." And with that said, he sneezed. Laughing, Heero pulled the hat from his head and the scarf from Duo's neck. "It may be good for your neck, but it isn't good for your nose."  
  
Laughing, Duo dropped back onto his knees and started to rummage trough the chest again. "Maybe not. But do you think I can borrow that scarf? I think one of the girls would be delighted if they could borrow it." Heero nodded. "As long as they don't start fighting over it."  
  
Laughing, Duo wrapped the scarf around his neck again. "Nah, don't worry. I'll make sure you get the scarf back in one piece, buddy." Nodding, Heero started to rummage trough the chest along with his longhaired friend.  
  
"Speaking of costumes, you said you would be wearing a costume too?" Nodding, Duo pulled up a gray dress jacked that smelled like mothballs. "Yup, I'm gonna wear one, all right." Winking, Duo threw the jacked over his shoulder and grinned when he saw the annoyed look on Heero's face. "Don't worry, I'll pick it up when we're done searching trough this chest, neat-freak."  
  
Still frowning, Heero went to pick up the jacked and neatly folded it together before laying it over the suitcase. "What are you gonna be?" Wiggling his index finger, Duo smirked. "Now that'll be a surprise. Not even the kids or Sister Helen knows. I like to surprise them." Pulling up another very stiff, black jacket he threw it to Heero who captured it and folded it together. "Last year I dressed up like a woman. I borrowed clothes and shoes from Hilde." Blushing, Duo picked up a red high-healed shoe from the chest and studied it. "But I almost broke my ankle wearing those damn shoes. You got to admire girls for being able to wear 'em."  
  
Nodding, Heero brought the two jackets back to the chest and sat down, laying the jackets beside him.  
  
"Hey, Heero? You got some dark sunglasses and a pair of decent shoes?"  
  
Nodding, Heero looked at Duo. "Hai, why do you ask?"  
  
Pulling up a long red coat, he grinned. "Ever played 'Final Fantasy X'?" Shaking his head, Heero looked at the coat. Pulling Heero up with him, Duo wrapped the jacket around Heero's shoulders and stroked over the fabric. "If you put on this jacket and black pants along with some dark shoes........." Smirking, Duo looked Heero in the eyes for a second. "I know you got one, Heero 'cause I saw it in your closet when I was looking through it."  
  
"Hn." Shaking his head, Heero smirked and touched the arm of the jacket. "And the sunglasses?"  
  
Nodding, Duo studied the jacket's shoulder. "Yeah, the sunglasses. You wear sunglasses along with the other stuff I said and a belt, the bigger the better... Oh, and we draw a scar over your eye and add some white to your hair... And you can borrow a black, sleeveless turtleneck from me and we can line it up with some washable yellow lines..." Grinning, Duo removed the jacked and folded it over his arm. Running over to a white keg, he lifted it up. "Along with his baby and you'll be just like Auron from 'Final Fantasy X'."  
  
"Who's Auron?" Heero felt like an idiot, but he had never played the game before. He'd just told Duo that.  
  
"It's a character from the game. Don't worry, he's a good guy. He's strong, silent, smart and sarcastic." Slapping Heero across the back, Duo grinned and shoved the jacket and the keg into Heero's arms. "Just like you, Hee- chan."  
  
Rolling his eyes, Heero draped the jacked over his shoulder and put the keg under his arm so he could quickly clean up the scattered clothes before closing the chest. "Baka."  
  
"Yeah, I hear you say that." Walking down, Heero shut of the light and closet the attic door. Duo looked at his watch and cursed. "Shit, I gotta go. Dinnertime." Nodding, Heero followed Duo downstairs and watched him as he pulled the feathery scarf off his neck and folded it over his now leather clothed arm. Grinning, he waived. "Don't forget to look up the rest of the stuff you need. I'll call you when the kids are ready so you can come over. We can fix that scar thing and the white in your hair there."  
  
Nodding, Heero cocked his head to one side. "Do I have to get dressed here, or-?"  
  
Shaking his head, Duo smiled. "Nah, you can dress at the orphanage. Just remember to bring all the stuff you need and I'll fix the sleeveless turtleneck for ya." Nodding again, Heero followed Duo to the door and waived. As soon as his friend was out of sight, he memorized the stuff he needed. The coat was still over his shoulder and the keg under his arm. Duo would fix the turtleneck, and the black pants were in his closet along with his shoes. He had a belt in the bathroom and his sunglasses were on his desk. All he had to do was get them.  
  
With a smirk, he made his way up the stairs. 'Ninmu Ryoukai.'  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this. I feel like an idiot!" Trying his best to disappear inside of the coat, Heero was walking slowly behind a princess, a skeleton, a ghost, a pirate and an angel, which wore the feathery scarf, while he clenched a candy bag in his hand. Beside him waltzed another skeleton, dressed in a black and white striped dress and a big cat that was supposed to be a bow attached around his neck.  
  
"You look great, Hee-chan. And think of all the memories." Glaring at the so-called 'Jack Skellington' copy that walked beside him, Heero pulled Duo's braid. "And why did Helen have to take our picture, 'Jack'? I don't like getting my picture taken when I'm dressed normally! And why do I have to walk around with my arm like this?"  
  
Smirking, Duo pulled Heero's belt up a little so that his hand was hanging a little more comfortable. "Because Auron does. Don't ask me why, when he fights it's working just fine, but when he walks around he has it folded under it's jacket. He's probably just pretending that he's arm is broken or something so people will think that he's weak."  
  
Shooing Duo away with his 'good' arm, Heero looked at the kids in front of him. "Looks like we're up to a new house."  
  
Nodding, Duo grinned and pulled Heero along with him. "Come on, it's candy time!" Sighing, but grinning, Heero let his best friend pull him away while a bunch of kids watched them run to a new house.  
  
After an hour or so, and being chased away from three houses because they were to big, Heero and Duo delivered the kids back at the orphanage. Looking at Duo's skeleton face, Heero tilted his head over to one side. "So, you wanna come over and have something to eat? I'm sure we could see a movie and if it gets really late, you can stay over." Grinning, Duo gave him the thumbs-up. "Is the moon a big, yellow piece of cheese?"  
  
"Iie, it isn't. Should I take that as a no?" Smirking, Heero watched the shocked face that appeared on his friends face. Throwing his arm around Heero's shoulder, Duo messed up Heero's hair so bad that it was standing out to every side. Grinning, Duo ran to the door. "It's Halloween, Heero. Everything changes so don't be surprised if a piece of the moon is chewed of tomorrow. Anyway, it was a 'yes, I wanna come with you for a bite'." With that, he disappeared inside while Heero waited on the outside and watched the starts.  
  
After a while, Duo showed up again. The white and black make-up in his face and hands were gone, but the outfit was still in place and a little bag was draped over his shoulder. Grinning, he sat down next to Heero and patted the bag. "Permission granted. I even get to spend the night if you really want me too."  
  
Looking at his friend, Heero smiled. "That's great. And I'd like it if you stayed the night. I wouldn't want you to walk around in the middle of the night."  
  
Grinning, Duo leaned back and gazed upon the stars along with Heero. "Beautiful, aren't they?" he said after a while in silence.  
  
"Hai," Heero answered almost dreamingly. He'd always had a soft spot for stars and could spend hours just watching them. After a while, Duo spoke up. "Whelp, we better get going. Maybe we can scare the crap out of some kids."  
  
Shaking his head, Heero smiled and got up. "I was wondering why you didn't change your clothes while you were in there." Shaking his head, Duo got up too and they started walking. "Nah, that wasn't it. But I don't wanna wear new clothes when I'm all sweaty like this. I brought a change of clothes with me in the bag." Patting his bag, Duo smiled. "Hope I can use your shower. I don't spend much time in the shower, just when I have to fix the hair."  
  
Nodding, Heero gently touched Duo's braid before lifting it us so he could feel it's weight. "It must be tiring to have such long hair. Why do you keep it so long?" Looking at his friend, Duo gave a sheepish smile. "Heh, call me sentimental but, my mum used to love my hair. I can remember her brushing my hair, telling me how soft it was. Now that role's been overtaken by Helen." Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, Duo paused before continuing. "When I was depressed, I didn't let anybody near me, so no point telling you that I didn't cut my hair during that period. But when I snapped out of it, Helen used to braid and wash it and everything. She loved playing with my hair, still does."  
  
Smiling, Heero let go of the braid. "I'm not surprised."  
  
They continued to walk in silence. A couple of kids were still running around in the area and Duo pretended to have a stroke when they passed a certain house where the worst witch of them all lived. When they finally reached Heero's place, Duo was starving.  
  
"Need – food," he panted and gave Heero his best puppy eye look. Laughing, Heero unlocked the door and showed his friend inside. "For god's sake, I'll feed you. Just get in here. And remember to take of your shoes. My mum goes ballistic if you wear your shoes inside."  
  
"Gotcha," Duo chirped and removed his shoes before following Heero into the kitchen. Sitting down, he watched as Heero rummaged trough the fridge. "We don't have much right now; we are supposed to go shopping tomorrow." Turning to face Duo, he scratched his neck. "But we do have some leftover pasta. If you want to, we can heat it up and have that."  
  
Smiling, Duo nodded. "Sure. Sounds great." Getting up, he grabbed the bowl that was handed to him by Heero. Closing the fridge, Heero looked got an empty pot and dumped the bowls contains in it, and placed it on the oven. Turning it on, he turned his head towards Duo. "Can you watch over it? I really need a shower. It won't take long." Smiling, Duo nodded. "Sure, go ahead. Take your shower and I'll watch over this baby." Winking, he gestured to the pot in the oven.  
  
Smiling back, Heero sighed and shook his head. "Arigato Duo, no baka." Smirking, Duo placed his hands on his hips. "Okay, that meant something like 'Thank you, Duo idiot' something. Right?" Laughing, Heero nodded. "Almost. It meant 'Thank you Duo, you idiot'." Pulling his arm back in a victory pull, Duo hissed a "yess!"  
  
Shaking his head, Heero went upstairs to have his shower. Quickly stripping out of his clothes, he turned on the warm water and soaked himself down. Quickly washing his hair and body, he rinsed himself off and jumped out of the shower to dry himself off. Pulling on a pair of plain white boxer, he took out a pair of sweat-pants and a t-shirt and then got dressed. Looking in the mirror, he ran a hand rough his hair like he always did. Their was no point in trying to make it lie flat. Walking into his room, Heero figured out that he might as well make up a bed for Duo while he was up there. Walking into the guest room, Heero located one of the air mattresses they used when they were out of beds. Not being to sure if, Duo wanted to sleep alone or not, he grabbed it and a pump before moving it into his own bedroom. Quickly pumping it up, he fetched a blanket and a pillow for the 'bed', hoping that Duo wouldn't mind sleeping on it. Pulling on a fresh pair of socks, Heero made his way downstairs again and into the living room just as Duo placed the plates with pasta onto the table. Two cans of soda was already standing there. He'd taken off the dress he was wearing as a costume and changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt as well. When he heard Heero at the door, Duo looked up and smiled. "Just in time, buddy. Foods done and I've taken the liberty to empty the dishwasher and refill it with a fresh load of dirty dishes."  
  
Smiling, Heero walked in and sat down. "Arigato, Duo. You really didn't have too." Winking, Duo sat down. "Hey, I needed something to keep me occupied while you were showering. Now eat, before it gets cold." Opening his can, Heero remembered the 'bed'. "I made up a bed for you in my bedroom. It's just an air mattress, but I've slept on it before and it's comfortable enough. But if you wanna sleep in the guest room, I can move the blanket and pillow in there." Shaking his head, Duo smiled. "Nah, don't think so. It's much more cozy to share a room with somebody. I think I'd prefer to sleep with you then in the guestroom." Duo was about to take a bite out of his food, when he realized the meaning of what he say and stopped his fork in mid air. "That... Didn't come out right," he stuttered and blushed. Heero just laughed.  
  
The meal passed in comfortable companionship. They talked about the happy couple, about ways they could make Relena come down from the sky and realized that Heero wasn't at all interested in her, and up-coming tests. At the end they ended up discussing if Noin was really fooling around with Zechs, the P. E. teacher, or not and if Sally was as sadistic as she looked. "I'm telling you," Duo rambled as he set his dirty plate into the dishwasher. "Every time I see her, I get this crazy mental picture of her caring this huge needle while she's laughing like a maniac."  
  
Heero smiled and placed his own plate into the washer before starting it. "Come on, she isn't that bad." Frowning, Duo grabbed his half-empty soda can and followed Heero into the living room. "What do you know? You've never been checked by her."  
  
"True, but she doesn't look like it. Dorothy on the other hand." Raising his hands in a silent defeat, Duo put on a pleading look. "Please, Heero, I know its Halloween an all, but no need to go there."  
  
Smirking, Heero turned on the TV. "Gomen, Duo." Sitting down onto the sofa, Duo took a sip of the soda and pouted. "Yeah, sure you are."  
  
Sitting down next to his friend, Heero switched randomly trough the channels, trying to find something to watch. Duo grabbed a TV guide that was lying on the table and flipped trough it. "Hey, Heero. 'The Night of the Living Dead' is going on channel sixty-seven. It's supposed to be good." Grinning towards the Japanese, Duo lied down the guide. "Wanna watch it? I got plenty of room on my lap if you get scared." Smirking, Heero switched to channel sixty-seven. "Same to you, Duo."  
  
Duo laughed and pulled his legs into the sofa with him. Settling himself on one of the armrests, Duo raised his legs a little more, taking up a little more space. Shifting a bit, Heero somewhat ended up with his back against Duo's legs. Blushing, he moved away until Duo reassured him that it was fine by him. Settling down again, Heero focus his mind on the movie while Duo was rambling on about the movie. All too soon, he fell a sleep, snuggling into Duo's legs.  
  
Hearing gently snoring from his buddy, Duo moved his eyes away from the movie and on to his friend. Smiling, he carefully shifted so that Heero would lie a little more comfortable and so that his own legs wouldn't fall asleep. Turning his attention back to the movie, he tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in his stomach. He felt pleased that Heero trusted him enough to fall asleep in such a position. And before the movie was over, the self-proclaimed Shinigami fell asleep as well.  
  
Author's Notes: Aww, sweet end. I know the chapter didn't make much sense, but it's a bridge. What do you think? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. points at the review button Thankee! And remember what I say. Hugs and Gundam pilots too those who reviews. The rest gets Relena. shivers 


	16. Dinner With The Yuy's

New Hope Home  
  
Ever hear of the expression 'From ashes to fire'? Well, that's where our long haired pal is going now. It's time to have a chat with Heero's parents. Oh, and the conversations Heero and Duo has is based on a conversation a friend and I had a while back.  
  
P.S. My muse is STILL missing. Isn't anybody going to help me find it? I'll donate the next chapter to the one that helps me solve the mystery!  
  
Dinner with the Yuy's  
  
"Heero. Wake up, Heero."  
  
Yawning, Heero stretched and carefully opened his eyes. His mother's smiling face was standing over him and Heero gently sat up. Somehow, during the night, he'd managed to move away from Duo's feet and down to the other armrest. Duo was lying in a foster-like position against his end of the sofa and was snoring lightly. The TV was still on and the remote was on the floor.  
  
Rubbing his eyes, Heero faced his mother again. "Mum? What time is it?"  
  
Smiling, Mrs. Yuy pointed at the clock that was beside the TV. "5:34, Heero. Your father and I just came home from our night shift. I just thought I'd wake you up so you and your friend can move up to your bedroom and sleep there."  
  
Yawning again, Heero looked at Duo and shook his head. "Iie, we'll just sleep here. Don't think that Duo'll wake up any time soon."  
  
Nodding, Mrs. Yuy pointed at Duo. "So that's the famous Duo?" Nodding, Heero lied back down at the sofa. "That's him." Nodding, Mrs. Yuy smiled. "Well, sleep well, Heero." Nodding, Heero yawned again before drifting back into dreamland. Mrs. Yuy smiled at the sight of the two teens and hurried into the kitchen. Quickly scribbling down a message onto a note, she laid it on the kitchen table along with some money. Checking on the teens one last time, she walked up stairs to join her husband in bed, still a little worried that the two teens would wake up with hurting backs.  
  
But the two teens were sleeping quite well on the big, soft sofa until—  
  
BANG!  
  
"OW! God damned it!"  
  
Jerking himself up in an upright position, Heero quickly opened his eyes to find the source of the noise. Scanning the room, he found Duo lying on the floor. The longhaired teen was lying on his stomach while rubbing his ass. "God damned. That hurt."  
  
Gently smiling, Heero got onto his feet and moved over so he could help Duo up. "You okay?" Smiling sheepishly, Duo nodded. "Yeah." Gently helping Duo down at the sofa, Heero sat down and watched as Duo stretched. "Guess the sofa's too small for me. I'm not exactly a quiet sleeper."  
  
Smirking, Heero nodded. "Yeah, I heard that." Sticking out his tongue, Duo showed Heero down at his side. "No, you didn't, you twit. You fell asleep before me." Yawning, Duo stretched his body. "Speaking of sleep, I'm still tired. What time is it?"  
  
"09:17," Heero muttered after checking the watch on his wrist. "What?!" Duo made a funny noise in the back of his throat and fell back onto the sofa. "I'm supposed to be fast asleep! I'm gonna be like a zombie all day!"  
  
Smirking, Heero got up and picket up the remote to turn the TV off. After putting the remote back onto the table, he stretched his body and yawned before walking in the direction of the kitchen. Duo got up and walked after him, only to be stopped. "If you want that shower, you better take it now, Duo. My parents came home from their night shift just hours ago."  
  
Nodding, Duo picked up the bag that was still lying beside his shoes and walked upstairs. Sighing, Heero walked into the kitchen to make them some breakfast. As he entered the room, a note on the table caught his attention. Picking it up, he read it.  
  
Heero.  
  
Your father and I really need some sleep so it would be nice if the two of you could go outside when you've woken up and had breakfast. I've left some money for you two to use on a movie or something to eat.  
  
And Heero, please ask if Duo wants to have dinner with us tonight. Your father and I have talked about it and we think it's about time that we get to know him, at least for your father sakes. I promise that we will not ask any questions that might embarrass him. We just want to get to know him.  
  
Mum  
  
Raising his eyebrows, Heero curled the note together and tossed it into he trashcan. 'Dinner, huh,' he thought while he set the table. 'I guess I can ask him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. And I'll take your word for it, mum, when you say you won't ask any uncomfortable questions.'  
  
Just as Heero was slicing up some bread, Duo walked in, all dressed but with a towel around his neck. His t-shirt and sweat pants were switched out with tight, black jeans and a black shirt. His still moist hair was loose and draped around his frame. Smiling, he sat down and helped himself to a slice of bread. "Told ya I was quick. But I'll wait with braiding my hair. If it's very moist, it'll be a hell to unravel later." Winking, he grabbed a glass with jam. "And I hope you can assist me with the braiding process."  
  
Nodding, Heero poured himself a cup of freshly made coffee and stared at the teen. Munching on his toast, Duo started back at Heero. "What?"  
  
Shaking his head, Heero grabbed a piece of bread and smeared a thin layer of butter and jam on it. "Nothing. It's just..." Blushing, Heero stared at the plate. "It's just that I've never really seen you with your hair down. Only when you're about to braid it and stuff."  
  
Smirking, Duo helped himself to some coffee and looked at his friend. "I know, I look like a girl. But it's good to let it loose sometimes. Not too often, though. The kids love to pull and play with my hair, and having it loose around them would kill me." Winking, Duo grabbed another piece of bread. "Besides, having it loose would make me look more feminine than I already am. I may be gay, but I'm still all male."  
  
Nodding, Heero slowly sipped on his own coffee. "Duo?" he asked slowly. "M- hm?" Duo answered between a mouthful of bread and jam. Biting his lower lip, Heero looked Duo straight in the eyes. "How did you know you were gay?"  
  
Coughing, Duo dropped his food and stared banging onto his chest. Blushing, Heero slammed his own cup of coffee onto the table and moved over to rub his friends back. "Gomen, Duo. I didn't mean to" Gasping, Duo looked at him and smiled a weak smile while soothing his throat. "S'okay, Heero. You just grabbed me by surprise."  
  
Blushing, Heero stopped the rubbing and went back to his seat. Duo cleared his throat a couple of times before looking at his pal. "I'll tell you how since you already know when, but do you mind if I ask you a question first?" Nodding, Heero tried to stare directly at his friend. He wanted to be just as open with Duo as Duo was with him.  
  
"Why did you ask that? I mean, it's not exactly a common breakfast conversation"  
  
Blushing, Heero moved his gaze from Duo's face to his own coffee mug. Duo leaned over and gently grabbed Heero's chin, moving his head so that they once again was staring at each other. Smiling, Duo let go and moved back onto his chair. "S'okay, Heero. You don't have to tell me. Hear me out and you can tell me after, if you feel more comfortable."  
  
Nodding, Heero poured some more coffee into his mug and fixed his gaze on Duo, giving the braided teen all of his attention. Clearing his throat, Duo took a quick sip of his coffee. "Well, as you know I discovered it when I was with Hilde. S'about a year or something after we got together. We were happy an' all, but I couldn't help but notice that I treated her more like a sister than a girlfriend. We'd fooled around and stuff, but we never went all the way. I guess one reason was that we were only 14." Smirking, Duo took a quick bite of his meal. "Well, we were 15 when we decided to go from cuddling to a little more groping. But every time we were getting' in the mood, I was always the one to chicken out. I couldn't help but feeling that this was wrong. One day I decided that I needed to do this if I wanted to save the relationship and we started like we always did. Kissing, touching over the clothes before moving our hands to under the sweater and stuff."  
  
Blushing, Duo cleared his throat again and scratched his neck. "I did get an erection, that wasn't the problem. It was fine as long as she was touching me trough my pants, but when we got undressed and I saw her naked......... Well, my erection disappeared. She didn't say anything. She just reassured me that maybe we were too young and stuff, but I couldn't help but questioning myself. I mean, I had my girlfriend good and naked beside me., but couldn't do anything. So I decided to do a little experiment."  
  
"Experiment?"  
  
Laughing nervously, Duo nodded. "Yeah, an experiment. One day father when all the kids and grown-ups at the orphanage was going for a trip to the museum, I pretended to be sick. They wanted to leave Helen there to take care of me, but I told them I would call if I needed anything. I was a big boy and could take care off myself." Looking down, Duo started to play with his toast. "I wasn't proud of lying like that, but I needed to do it. And I was even less proud of what I did when they left. Half an' hour or so after they left, I snuck into father Maxwell's computer and logged onto the net. And there I checked up three different things. Lesbian, straight and gay porn."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Heero smirked. "You checked up porn on father Maxwell's computer?" Pouting, Duo gave him a glare while his face flushed into a deep, red color. "Well, I was too little to buy any porn, so the only option I had left was the net. I couldn't have checked it out at the school or the library either!"  
  
Raising his hand, Heero smiled reassuringly. "Gomen, Duo. I didn't mean to mock you. Go on." The pout disappeared, but some of the color remained in Duo's face. "Well, I checked up the three things I mentioned and I guess you can guess was the result was. Lesbian porn didn't do anything for me, I was a little turned on by the straight porn, but only if I looked at the guy. And for the gay porn..." Taking a deep breath, Duo smiled sheepishly. "Let's just say that I quickly turned off the computer to do the right hand jive. Later I learned the effect of a cold shower." Smiling, Heero nodded and got up to pour out his coffee. He'd totally forgotten it while Duo told his tale and now it had turned cold. Pouring himself a new cup, even though a little voice in the back of his head said it was un-necessary since he would probably forget that one too, he slid down back onto his chair. Looking back at Duo, he took a little sip and smiled. "Go on."  
  
Nodding, Duo took a sip of his own cold coffee and pulled a face. Heero started to get up, only to be stopped by Duo. "Don't bother. I'll just take some juice instead." Pouring himself a glass, Duo took a big gulp of it and continued.  
  
"well, after I discovered that I most likely was gay, I freaked out. I told myself I should have known since I'd noticed that I'd become a little attracted to my best friend, a guy named Jake." Nodding, Heero remembered that day on the field when Duo had told him about what had happened when the 'friend' had found out. Wishing the guy a painful death, he took a quick sip of his coffee. Duo took a sip out of his own juice and continued.  
  
"The day after I found out, I went to Hilde for advice. I was still insecure, but I needed someone to talk too. I told her everything, about the signs I'd notice, about the experiment and the fact that I was a little turned on by Jake and she was very understanding. She told me to always come to her when I needed too and we broke off as the best off friends. What wasn't so great was that somebody had heard us talking and the next day word was all over the school. Jake had of course heard it too and he beat the shit out of me. A teacher had to break us apart and he swore that if I even looked in his direction, he would kill me. I was devastated and if it hadn't been for Hilde, I probably would have tried to kill myself again." Setting his cup down, Heero leaned over and covered Duo's hand with his. "Go on," he whispered and Duo nodded.  
  
"After that day, I found out who my friends were and who wasn't. In fact, the only one I had left was Hilde 'cause I didn't meet the others until our first year in High school. But then, Hilde moved away and I was alone. I found comfort in Helen and father when I finally told them, and that too was with help from Hilde, but I was still scared shitless. Then one day, I met Peter." Chewing on his lower lip, Duo looked down while muttered something that seemed like 'But I wish now that I never did even if it was good for something.' Then he looked up and continued.  
  
"I was in my first year at 'Black Hole' and I'd just met Wufei. Hilde invited me to a birthday party, and I'd asked Wufei if he wanted to join me. He accepted for some strange reason, later I figured out that he wanted to protect me from any harsh words. He and his girlfriend, Meilan tagged along and thank god that they did. I was little drunk and had gone outside for some air when a couple of guys showed up. They were drunk and started to threaten me. Me being me, I insulted them right back, and that earned me a nose bleed. They were about to smack the shit out of me when Peter came and rescued me. He defended me, chased them away and cleaned me up." Smiling a sad smile, Duo looked at Heero while putting his other hand on top of Heero's.  
  
"I don't know how or why I fell for him, but he was being so nice to me that night that I did. He called Hilde the next day so he could get my phone number and he called me. He told me he liked me and wanted to get to know me better. He was a senior and was about to leave for college, but I only found that exciting. You know, being with someone older than yourself. We met and started dating. He told me I was beautiful, and me being new and a total idiot fell for every word. When he had me in his net, it all went down hill."  
  
Sighing, Duo looked at Heero who tightened his grip on the hand he was holding. He felt a slight squeeze from the hand covering his in response. "Peter went under the category 'Guy's that only want one thing', but I was scared that he would leave me if I didn't let him get what he want so I gave myself to him. The first time I had sex, I was 16. I was legal, yes, and I did let him do it by my own free will, but I still think it was just as good as rape." Sighing, Duo looked down. "I was at the bottom, being a total newbie, and it was no picnic. The stretching was quick and painful, and when he entered me, I almost tore. He insisted on taking me from the back, probably so he wouldn't see that he was hurting me."  
  
Chewing on his lower lip, Duo looked up. "The relationship was shitty, and he would do it to me like that every time I was home with him. I was scared off him, but I didn't want to leave him in fear of being alone. And that's were Wufei came in." Smiling, Duo's eyes began to sparkle. "Wufei's a good guy, and even though I never complained about the relationship to him, he saw that I was suffering. One day I was with Peter, Wufei showed up at his door. Even though Wufei is younger and smaller than Peter, he can be quite scary. He came in and dragged me outside while Peter ran after us. When he was sure that I was out of his grasp, Wufei turned and said that the relationship was over and if he ever saw him near me again, he would have to hurt him. Peter was scared of him, but he just smirked and said I was a lousy fuck anyway. When he had left, Wufei hugged me and said I never had to fear him again, nor did I have to fear that I would be alone. I owe him a lot for helping me out." Grinning, Duo closed his eyes. "After that, I decided to never be that dominated again. I started to work out and that helped me to build up my self-esteem. I came out almost immediately when I got out of the relationship with Peter, and when I befriended Trowa and Quatre, things were looking good. I'd figured out that humor would be my weapon and that I would never care about what people thought about me again 'cause I knew I wasn't alone. Quatre came out pretty quick among the four of us, almost right after we became friends. And even though Trowa came out last year, I decided to help them, just like Hilde and Wufei had helped me."  
  
Nodding, Heero removed his hand so he could stroke Duo's cheek. "In that case, I should thank them too. If they hadn't helped you, you wouldn't have become you and I wouldn't have had you as my best friend."  
  
Leaning into Heero's touch, Duo smiled and stuck his tongue out. "You better not. If Wufei finds out that you know he's a total softie, he'd kill me."  
  
Smirking, Heero removed his hand to clean away what wasn't used. Duo finished of his own meal and started to braid his hair. "Give me a hand, Hee-chan?" Nodding, Heero walked over and carefully accepted the rope of hair that was handed to him. "Just braid it real tight. I'll let ya know if it's too tight." Gently running his fingers trough Duo's hair, he couldn't help but notice how incredible soft it was. It was like the finest of silk. Quickly splitting it up into three equal strands, Heero gently started to twin it into a braid. Having no experience what so ever when it came to braiding, but he'd seen Duo do it enough to remember how it was done. And it was actually quite easy.  
  
Satisfied with the result after redoing it three times, the third time Duo has started snickering and asked if he needed a hand, he tapped Duo's shoulder and grabbed the elastic that was handed to him. When done, he stepped back and watched as Duo gently touched the braid from base to the tip. Turning his head, Duo winked. "Nice work, Heero. Couldn't have done it better myself. Thanks."  
  
Nodding, Heero smiled over the compliment. Feeling strangely proud and warm inside, he turned to face the living room. Then he remembered.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Turning to face his friend, Heero smiled. "Are you busy today?"  
  
Scratching his neck, Duo shook his head. "No, not really. Why?" Smirking, he walked over and sat down at the table again. "My mother wondered if you would have dinner with us today. She really wants to know the guy I'm hanging out with."  
  
Smirking, Duo lifted his arms and rested them behind his head. "They wanna question me, huh?" Nodding, Heero smiled. "Hai. But she promised that they wouldn't ask any questions that would make you uncomfortable. It's more for my father's sake."  
  
Laughing, Duo grinned. "Hey, no problemo. It takes a lot to make me uncomfortable. I'm a pretty open person, ya know." Winking, Duo moved his hands from his head to the table. "Sure, I'll dine with you. I just have to let Helen and father Maxwell know."  
  
Nodding, Heero got up. "That's okay. We have to go out anyway. My mum and dad are fast asleep and I guess they want some peace and quiet when they wake up."Grinning, Duo got up and followed Heero to the stairs. "Hey, are we being loud?"  
  
Shaking his head, Heero started to walk up. "I'm just gonna change. You can get the mail while you wait." Pouting, Duo walked into the hall and pulled on his shoes- "Get the mail... What am I, a freakin' servant?" He continued to mutter all the way out, but Heero still noticed the smile that was playing on Duo's lips.  
  
"All clear, Heero. I'm off and ready to have dinner." Smirking, Heero walked out of the gate from the orphanage and they walked down the street on their way towards Quatre. "Take it easy. Dinner isn't up until eight. Be patient."  
  
"Eight? I'm gonna starve." Rubbing his stomach, Duo pouted. "Hope Quatre has enough sense to feed me." Laughing, Heero ran a hand through his bangs. "Swell, nobody leaves the Winner residence unsatisfied."  
  
Grinning, Duo wrapped an arm around Heero's shoulder. "You got that right." Laughing, Heero pushed him away while shaking his head. Duo continued to grin and Heero looked down so he wouldn't laugh.  
  
"Say, Heero. About earlier, why did you ask?" Heero snapped his head up and looked at Duo. Duo gently smiled and moved his hands so he could rest them behind his head. Blushing, Heero bit his lower lip and looked down. Cursing, he started to think about how much he had opened up since he met Duo. He still thought that Duo was a really good influence on him, but the new emotions he was starting to received was coming too fast and he didn't now what to do with them.  
  
A gentle hand on his woke Heero up from his train of thoughts and he moved his head so he could look his friend in the eyes. Maybe he could coop with his emotions a little better if he saw the object of his affections.  
  
Smiling, Duo laid a hand on Heero's shoulder to stop their pace. "I'm taking a wild guess here now, Heero, but did you ask because you're starting to question yourself?"  
  
Blushing even deeper, Heero looked down and nodded. Damn, was he ever going to get rid of that red color that seemed to be permanently attached to his face?  
  
Feeling Duo's soft hand once again against his chin, he let the hand tilt his head upwards until Prussian clashed with Cobalt. He stared deep into the eyes that he'd fell for a while back and he could see all the emotions that were swirling around in them. Gently moving his eyes to Duo's lips, he could see that they were curled up into a soft smile. Not a smile that was making fun of you, but a smile that showed understanding and respect.  
  
Feeling that the hand moved away from his chin, Heero looked back into the deep, blue eyes and saw the little hint off purple that swirled around in the deep, blue oceans.  
  
"Don't be ashamed, Heero. I won't mock you, laugh at you or even ask who it is. When you're ready, I know you will tell me." Smiling, Duo moved his hand to Heero shoulder to give his friend some support. "I know that you're like me, that you don't give a rat's ass about what other people think about you. But I can also understand the insecurity you're going through. You've walked around, believing that you've known yourself, but then you realize that you don't know yourself at all." Winking, Duo removed his hand and grabbed Heero's hand. Lying it on Heero's chest, he covered it with is own hand and smiled. "You believe in what feels right for you, Heero, but I believe that everybody's a bit bi. Because when you fall in love, you don't fall in love with a pair of boobs or a dick. You fall for someone's personality and charms. And I think that if for example a guy falls in love with a girl, he'll only be attracted to her because she is a girl. That was how nature created us so we could reproduce. It's always the sex that attracts us first, but when you get to know the person better, you fall for the charm and personality." Grinning, Duo winked. "At least I hope people do. If they fall for the tits, they need to be checked. But anyway, I think that if we take a guy and a girl he loves and remove that girls personality into another guy, chances are that the guy will still be in love. At least if the guy is open and not scared of the unknown."  
  
Winking, Duo moved away from his Japanese friend and grinned. "Did that make any sense at all?"  
  
Nodding, Heero smiled. "Actually, it did, Duo. Thanks." Winking, Duo once again threw his arm around Heero's shoulder and they started walking. "Anytime, buddy. Anytime. Now, let's see how our two turtledove's are doing."  
  
Smirking, they walked with a quick pace towards the blondes mansion while Duo talked merrily about a cartoon he'd watched with the kids just last week. Heero was grateful that Duo was kind enough to change the subject. It would give him some time to digest some of the words Duo had said to him. Soon they were standing outside the blondes door, waiting for Rashid to open the door. After a quick greeting, they were told that 'the master' was in his room with Trowa and they hurried up to the fourth floor.  
  
Dragging himself up the last steps, Duo panted and wiped his forehead. "Damn, this stairs are killing me. Who needs exercise, we can just walk up the stairs a couple of times and we would be in top shape." Smirking, Heero waited at the top of he stairs while Duo complained about the lack of elevators in the house.  
  
Walking down a hall, they stopped outside of the young teen's door and knocked. When a soft 'enter' was heard, they walked in and greeted the two teens in there.  
  
"Heero! Duo! Its' so good to see you both. How are you?" The blonde chirped while the silent teen on his bed just nodded a silent greeting. Heero nodded back while Duo chirped his own greeting and sat down beside Trowa on the bed. Heero settled himself on a chair while Quatre sat down onto his boyfriends lap.  
  
Smiling, Quatre faced Heero. "Not that I'm not pleased to see you, because I am, but what are you doing here?"  
  
Grinning, Duo leaned back onto the bed and stared at the happy couple. "We just decided to stop by. And I was hoping that you would be here, T-bone. I wanted to ask you what you were up to on your birthday next week."  
  
"Trowa's birthday's next week?" Heero looked at the three boys on the bed. Nodding, Quatre hugged his boyfriend and smiled. "That's right. Trowa's birthday is next week and he turns 19." Nodding, Duo grinned. "That's right and that's why I'm planning a party down town at the disco. All the 'Fallen Angels are going to be there to celebrate our birthday boy. Just hope I can convince Wuffers to come."  
  
Smirking, Heero crossed him arms and sat back onto the chair. "But Duo. Shouldn't Trowa have a say in the matter. It's his birthday." Slapping Trowa on the back, Duo grinned and shook his head. "Nope, he has nothing to say. It's his birthday and we're gonna celebrate it with a bang. Sorry Quatre, but no tea party. Everybody's going out." Locking his eyes on Heero, Duo grinned evilly. "Even you, buddy. After all, you're an Angel now."  
  
Opening and closing his mouth like a stranded fish, Heero tried to protest, but failed. When the longhaired teen had decided to do something, it was impossible to stop him. He knew that, and he'd only known him for a couple of months.  
  
Quatre scratched his nose and smiled. "I guess it would be fun to go dancing and stuff. Then you can show me how flexible you really are, Trowa." Blushing, Trowa said nothing and buried his face into the nape off Quatre's neck while Duo fell laughing onto the bed. Heero shook his head while laughing softly. The blonde really looked like an angel, but he had a few kinks in him.  
  
Sighing, Trowa shook his head and looked at the braided teen with his one visible eye. "Sounds like fun, Duo, but you'll be the one that has to convince Wufei. I sure as hell don't want too."  
  
Smirking, Duo nodded. "Wimp. But don't you worry, leave everything to me. I'll convince Wuffers." Quatre nodded and hugged his boyfriend tight while Trowa kissed his cheek. Duo sat and smiled beside them, rambling about the cute couple and Heero... Heero was still having a hard time choking the little green monster in his head. He too wanted someone to hug and be hugged by. He wanted somebody to kiss and touch. And he wanted that somebody to be Duo.  
  
"Heero, I'm kind of scared now."  
  
Smirking, Heero opened the front door as the clock as closing in on eight o'clock. "Don't worry, Duo. I'm here, remember." Nodding, Duo swallowed. He was death scared that he would say something foolish that might cause Heero some trouble later.  
  
The two teens were just about to slip of their shoes in the hall when Mrs. Yuy showed up. She was drying her hands with a handkerchief and was smiling when she saw them. "Heero. You are just in time for dinner." Turning towards Duo, she reached out her hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm Mishka Yuy, Heero's mother. We're so happy that you wanted to join us for dinner tonight."  
  
Smiling, Duo shook her hand and nodded. "Very nice to meet you ma'am and pleasure is all mine. The name's Duo Maxwell, by the way."  
  
Nodding, Mrs. Yuy showed the two boys into the living room were a table was set for four. There were lit candles on the table along with a bowl of peas, a bowl of rice and a little mug of sauce. "Very nice to meet you too, Duo. Heero's been talking very warmly about you. Now please sit and I will serve dinner."  
  
Nodding, the two teens sat down beside each other. Wiping his forehead, Duo smiled. "Well, that wasn't so bad." Smirking, Heero shook his head. A little while later, Mrs. Yuy showed up with a roasted steak. Placing it on the table, she smiled and walked towards the stairs to call her husband. "Hisoka, the dinner is ready."  
  
A loud 'Hai' came from upstairs and Mrs. Yuy smiled. "He will be down shortly. You can just start."  
  
Shaking their heads, Heero and Duo smiled. "We'll wait until everybody's set, ma'am." Nodding, Mrs. Yuy walked back and sat down, shortly after a tall man with the same hair as Heero walked down the stairs. Duo carefully got up from his chair and walked over. Reaching out his hand, he gently bowed and smiled. "Nice meeting you again, sir, and thanks for letting me come here this evening."  
  
Mr. Yuy looked at the hand for a minute before gently grasping and shook it. "Nice to meet you again, Maxwell." With that, he dropped the hand and walked to the table to sit down. Duo gently looked at his hand before returning to sit by Heero's side. Mrs. Yuy picked up a knife and started to slice up the steak. "Now, let us all enjoy the meal, shall we."  
  
The meal passed in silence, only to be broken by questions of refill and passing of different items. When the meal was over, Mrs. Yuy and Heero cleared the table while Duo and Mr. Yuy retreated to the living room couch and sat down. Placing himself in a chair beside the couch, Mr. Yuy never took his eyes away from the slender frame that, at the moment, occupied a little of his couch.  
  
After a while Heero showed up with a tray covered with cups, a mug of cream and a bowl of sugar. Gently setting the small living room table, he picked up the tray and placed in on the floor before settling down beside his death scared friend. Just seconds after, Mrs. Yuy showed up with a can of coffee and started to pour some into the cups before sitting down.  
  
The four people sat there in complete silence before Mrs. Yuy decided to do something about it. Gently sipping her coffee, she looked gently at the braided teen that was holding his own cup with such tenderness, almost as if he were afraid to drink of it without permission. "So, you're the young man that has kept our Heero busy the last months?"  
  
Nodding, Duo smiled. "Guilty as charged, ma'am."  
  
"Well, in that case I should thank you, Duo-san. You've really loosened up our Heero. He's never been this relaxed and happy before."  
  
Laughing, Duo took a little sip from his cup. "Well, the pleasure is all mine, ma'am. I think it's very fun to be with Heero. When he relaxes, we're having a blast together."  
  
Nodding, Mrs. Yuy smiled as Heero looked down with slightly red cheeks. "Heero's been telling us about some of the stuff you do together. If I'm not mistaken, you have a band?"  
  
"Well, it's not exactly a band. It's more like a group of friends that meet together every once in a while to play together for our own pleasure. We sometimes play on school festivities, but mostly by ourselves. Other times we do other things, like playing basketball or just eating and watching TV."  
  
"That sounds like fun. I understand that you're on the school team?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. But the season isn't on yet. It was some kind of trouble with the papers and some minor details, so the season won't be off until after the new year. But Heero's keeping me in shape."  
  
Clearing his throat, Mr. Guy interrupted. "Well, Heero was a big athlete in San Francisco. Nobody could match him in kickboxing, basketball or karate." Glaring at his father, Heero just knew what his father was trying to do and he want' going to let it happen. "Dad, he already knows."  
  
Ignoring his son, Mr. Yuy continued. "Heero told us about your, well... status in life. It must be hard to loose your parents in such a young age." It wasn't a question, it was more like a statement and Heero could feel how his hands clenched themselves into fists. Duo gave Heero a quick glance, almost to reassure the Japanese that no offence was taken. "Yes, sir, but I honestly don't remember much from when I was little."  
  
"I see. But it must be even harder to live at an orphanage when you're as old as you are."  
  
Shaking his head, Duo tried to smile. "Not really, sir. It's my own fault that I'm still there, but it's not because there's something wrong with me. It's a long tale, but to make it short, the owner is like a father to me and I felt that I owed him something. I was young when I decided to stay, but when I realized that I wasn't helping them by staying, it was too late. It's harder to get adopted the older you are."  
  
Nodding, Mr. Yuy's mouth curled into a little smile. "So it had nothing to do with your preferences?"  
  
"Hisoka," Mrs. Yuy started only to be cut of by a quick wave from her husband. Swallowing, Duo tried desperate to keep his smile intact. "Well, I have to admit that when I on the rare occasions in the past was adopted away, my preferences would take their courage away from them along with some minor problems I had in the past."  
  
"I see." Gently sipping his coffee, Mr. Yuy pretended to think about what Duo had just said. Heero quickly gave his mother an icy glare, but it softened when he saw the confused and sad look in his mother's eyes. Gently looking at Duo, he could see that the other teen was biting his lower lip. When Duo noticed that Heero was looking at him, he quickly gave him a smile before returning to stare into his still full cup.  
  
Mrs. Yuy laughed gently and gently placed her cup onto the table. Quickly changing the subject, she smiled. "Heero's also been telling us that you're quite the talented artist. What kind of style are you using."  
  
Coughing, Duo put his own cup onto the table. "Well, I mostly do realistic, but I've also tried out the Japanese style. Manga isn't it?" Nodding, Mrs. Yuy smiled. "That's correct, Duo. And if you wouldn't mind, I would love to see some of your work."  
  
Smiling, Heero quietly spoke up. "Mum is very interested in art and she has a friend in San Francisco that's an artist. I'm sure she would give you some feed back if you want too."  
  
Grinning, Duo nodded. "That would be great, ma'am. It's always nice to get feed back on my work, wheatear it's flames or not. I accept everything 'cause flames helps me to improve my style."  
  
Laughing, Mrs. Yuy shook her head. "Quite an optimist, aren't you?"  
  
"I'm trying my best, ma'am. Life's to short to walk around with a frown on your face." Winking, Duo smiled. "Not that your face's showing any trace of it, ma'am."  
  
Mr. Yuy shot him an icy glare and Duo could feel the look burning itself on him. Swallowing, he nodded and the smile shrunk in size. Raising an eyebrow, Mr. Yuy poured himself some more coffee. "You must be quite busy with so many hobbies. You hardly leave any time for a lover or partner."  
  
Blushing, Duo looked down. "No worries there, because I'm without a lover at the moment. I'm waiting for 'the one', I guess."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Mr. Yuy let a sly smile play on his lips, hidden away with his cup. "Your kind believes in such rubbish? I always thought you found pleasure in whoever you'd meet on the street."  
  
Another icy glare was shot from the messy haired teen, but this time it was in his father's direction. It was met by his father's own glare and Duo could almost see the sparks fly. Swallowing, he got up. "Well, I don't know where other of my 'kind' find their pleasure, but I don't. But I think I should leave now." Gently making his way to Mrs. Yuy, Duo shook her hand and smiled. "Thank you very much for having me here for dinner. It's was a lovely meal."  
  
Nodding, Mrs. Yuy smiled and whispered. "The pleasure is all mines, Duo and you're always welcome even if it doesn't seem like it."  
  
Getting up, Heero followed his friend to the hall without a word. He watched as Duo slipped on his shoes and jacked, and quickly slipped on his own shoes. They walked together in silence until they reached the gate. Turning to face his friend, Duo smiled. "Thanks for tonight, Hee-chan."  
  
Looking down, Heero nodded. "I'm sorry it ended like that, Duo. I hope you're not mad."  
  
Laughing, Duo gently touched Heero's hand. "At you and your mum? Never. But I am slightly annoyed with your father, yes. Not because of the questions, but because he broke his promise to you. He told you he was fine with us being friends and this is how he repays you for trusting him."  
  
Heero gently looked as the hand moved away from his own and sighed. "I'm still sorry, though. I just wanted my father to see you as I do. My mother is pretty open, but my father... He's so narrow sighted. I don't understand him."  
  
Raising his shoulders, Duo turned his gaze onto the house. "I guess he just doesn't understand. I bet he's just afraid of the unknown and the fact that my preferences is something he doesn't understand. But you would think that him being a doctor would make him a bit more open. I mean, he must experience many odd cases at work."  
  
Nodding, Heero sighed again. "Well, I guess he keeps a straight face at work, but is cursing on the inside. Or that he gives them another doctor." Laughing, Duo shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, probably. But I'll say good night for now. I'll se you at school tomorrow. You want me to meat you or something?"  
  
Nodding, Heero smiled. "Just come here around half past seven. My parents would have left for work by then, so no worries there."  
  
"I'll take your word for it then." Winking, Duo blew him a kiss and walked of. "Bye then, Heero. See ya tomorrow." Waiving, Heero smiled. "Good night." Then, as the black clothed teen walked into the evening, Heero blew his friend his own little kiss. "Oyasami, Duo-san. Ja matta ne."[1]  
  
Author's Notes: [1] It's means 'Good night, Duo. See you later'. At least that's what a page I was on said. But I could be wrong. O.o Please let me know if I am.  
  
Good and long, but not the way I wanted it to turn out. But what do you think? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. points at the review button Thankee! And remember what I say. Hugs and Gundam pilots too those who reviews. 


	17. Omae Wa Ore No Mono Da, Duosan

New Hope Home  
  
Sorry that I'm so slow, folks, but I wanted this chapter to be perfect. I'm not saying anything about this chapter. But I think you will finally get what you want and I hope that you will be happy with it. Thanks to everybody's that's hanged on for so long (thank you for being so patient) and to the new people that's just stumbled into the story. But don't you worry, the story's just begun. Read, enjoy and thanks everybody. I love every one of you to bits.   
  
"Omae Wa Ore No Mono Da, Duo-san:"  
  
"Happy birthday, birthday boy!" Grinning, Duo handed Trowa a gift. The five young men were once again gathered at Quatre's and they were at the moment occupied with the silent Latino and his gifts. At least Duo was.  
  
"Come on, T-bone! Rip the paper off. Or have you forgotten how to do it?" Looking silently at the braided teen, Trowa gently started to open Duo's gift.  
  
"Well? What do you think? Just what you need, eh?" Winking, Duo slapped Trowa's back as the silent Latino removed the wrappings and revealed a book with the title '1000 practical jokes'. Snorting, Quatre tried desperately to hide his laughter while Wufei muttered, "It beat what he bought him last year".  
  
"Okay, mine turn," chirped the blonde and handed his love a small envelope. "For you, dearest," he whispered and Trowa kissed his cheek in thanks.  
  
"Hey!" Duo pouted and crossed his arms. "I didn't get a kiss when I handed you my gift. Where's my kiss? I want a kiss too!" Trowa's one visible eye widened a bit, but Quatre just giggled. "Duo, stop joking." Grinning, Duo nodded and walked over towards Heero that was sitting on a chair beside the desk and the bed. Sitting down onto the desk, Duo yelled. "Well, open it!"  
  
Nodding, Trowa opened the envelope and his lips curled up into a little smile. Gently slipping his hands into the envelope, he pulled out a gift card to a CD store and two tickets to an ice show. "Thank you, Quatre," the tall Latino smiled and kissed Quatre's check again. Looking at the tickets, Wufei smirked. "And since you bought two, I recon you will go with him, Winner?"  
  
Shaking his head, Quatre smiled. "No, I was thinking he could bring his sister. I know both she and Trowa want to see the show." Blushing, he looked at Trowa. "But if he wants to bring me, that's fine too."  
  
Laughing, Duo ran a hand trough his bangs. "So you'll both earn on it, eh? Well done, you little minx." Winking to the blonde, he could see the red color that instantly cowered both teens faces and he laughed again. Heero sighed and handed Trowa his own gift. Trowa nodded a silent 'Thank you' and Heero nodded a 'You welcome' back. Slowly unraveling the paper, Trowa revealed a day planer. Nodding towards the book, Heero curled his hands onto his lap and carefully looked at him. "You have been forgetting a lot of our homework in class lately. I was hoping that would come in handy to help you remember." Smiling, Trowa nodded and leaned over to pat Heero's hands. "Thank you, Heero. This will most likely come in handy."  
  
Winking, Duo nudged Heero's foot with his own. "Look's like you just shored a whopper there, Hee-chan. Let's just hope that T-bone wont forget to use it."  
  
Shaking his head, Wufei muttered a quiet 'baka' and handed Trowa the gift from him. Nodding, Trowa opened in the same slow motion as he had done with the others. As soon as the paper was gone, Trowa had a shining new CD in his hands. Shrugging, Wufei muttered "You mentioned that you wanted that CD once," and looked away. Trowa smiled a silent 'thank you' and patted the Chinese's back.  
  
Clapping, Duo got up and sat down next to Trowa. "Now that the presence are gone, it's time for the second surprise." Grinning, Duo slipped his hand into his pocket and fished out a piece off paper. "It's not really a surprise since you already know we're going out, but you don't know where. And thanks to my handy connections down town I've been able to get us into the newly decorated disco."  
  
Raising his eyebrows, Wufei glared. "The newly decorated disco? You mean 'After Dark'?"  
  
Nodding, Duo's grin widened. "The one and only. Tonight, we're going to dance." Pulling a face, Wufei shook his head. "I think I just remembered that I have plans for tonight." Nodding, Duo wrapped his arms around Wufei's shoulders and his grin turned into a sly smile. "That's right, Wuffers. You have plans with 4 guys and a disco floor. So get your ass in gear and prepare to boogie all night."  
  
Pushing the grinning teen away, Wufei snarled. "I'm not going to 'boogie' all night. I don't like to dance!" Putting up a hurt face, Duo crossed his arms. "Come on, Wufei. I've spent days planning this. You have no idea what I had to do to get us in. I mean, Howard showed me no mercy on the scrap heap last Saturday and he knows the owner of the disco. And think about Trowa. It's his big day. Even Heero's going and you know he hates big crowds."  
  
Looking at the silent Japanese, Wufei could see the faint nod and he sighed. "Very well, Maxwell. I'm doing this for Trowa because it's his birthday." Glaring at the braided teen, he growled. "But I'm not dancing, so if you even think about dragging me onto the floor I'm gonna smack the shit out off you!"  
  
Laughing, Duo raised his hands in defense. "Okay, okay, no dancing. Got it."  
  
Silently lifting his hand, Trowa gently spoke up. "Can I be excused too?" Shaking his head, Quatre smiled and kissed his love. "No, because you're gonna dance with me." Smiling, Trowa kissed Quatre's nose. "Well, I guess I can survive as long as it is with you." Beside them, Duo put up a hurt face while Wufei sighed and muttered 'Get a room'. Heero just laughed.  
  
A few hours later, Heero was on his way home. They'd had a quick band rehearsal before separating and Heero was a little worried about what he should wear. He knew he had to dress up a little. But in what? He had very limited dancing clothes since he very rarely went out to dance. Knowing Duo, he would probably be dragged out onto the dance floor no matter how much he protested, so he would have to dress in something comfortable, something he could move in. But he wanted it to be nice since it was his friends birthday. He knew that they would eat at the disco so he would need his wallet. Stepping into the hall, he quickly removed his shoes and made his way upstairs. And waiting upstairs was-  
  
"Heero. May I talk to you?" Glaring at the man that was standing beside his door, he just walked past him and into his room. His father silently followed and closed the door after him. Not even bothering to turn, Heero spoke up. "I can't remember saying that you could enter my room."  
  
Nodding, Mr. Yuy sat down onto the bed and looked at his son. Heero started to rummage through his closet for something to wear for tonight. Duo would show up around eight so he had to get ready. "Say what you came to say and leave, otusun," he said in the coldest possible way while he pulled out a pair of black jeans.  
  
"I came to apologize, Heero." Snorting, Heero turned while clutching the jeans in his hands. "Apologize? Why are you apologizing to me for, when the one you should apologize too is Duo."  
  
Nodding, Mr. Yuy got onto his feat and walked over to his son. "I know, but I was hoping you could deliver the apologize from me too him, and-"  
  
Snarling, Heero walked past him. "You want me to be your messenger? Forget it! Duo deserves an apologize from you, and I want you to do it! You stepped over the line, even though you promised both my mother and me that you would not make Duo uncomfortable. You broke the trust I had in your word, and I will not forgive you until you've apologized to Duo. Duo is the one that got hurt, not I. It was him and his pride you insulted." Taking a deep breath, Heero turned to face the shocked face that belongs to his father. "Don't be so surprised, otusun. I'm more than capable to speak up when I feel that my friends have been unfairly treated. And you treated Duo unfairly because he's gay. You let your experiences and beliefs crash with the person Duo really is. He's not like others and even though he takes things a bit seriously sometimes, he still has a clever head on his shoulders and a heart of gold."  
  
Heero's father nodded and even though Heero could see the still shocked face, he could also see the slight annoyance in his fathers eyes over Heero's out burst. Talking back at his elders was not something he'd been raised to do, but he figured out that it was the least he could do for Duo so he would get the apologize he deserved. He was determinate to make his father bite his words back and apologize to his braided friend.  
  
"If you want a new chance, otusun, then you'll get it tonight. Duo'll come over around eight to pick me up to Trowa's birthday party." Walking out of his room, Heero sighed and leaned against the wall. 'Hope he doesn't do anything else to him. If he does, then Omae O Korosu.' Watching as Mr. Yuy left his room; he sighed again and walked into the shower.  
  
After a quick clean up, Heero walked back into his room to get dressed. He decided to go for the jeans he'd taken out earlier, but what to wear on his upper body? Rummaging through his closet, he practically tore it in half before settling down with a nice white silk shirt. After getting dressed, he quickly looked himself over in the mirror. Carefully smiling to his own reflection, he shook his head. He'd never cared much for dressing up, but he found that lurking in the back of his head was a little side of him that wanted to impress a certain someone. Shaking his head again, he turned on his computer and logged on to the net, just to have something to do while he waited for Duo to show up.  
  
After what seemed like hours, a beep from his cell caught Heero's attention and he almost dived after it. And as he hoped, it was from Duo. He was just a couple of minutes away and was hoping that Heero could meet him outside. Heero could understand that Duo was once again afraid of meeting his father, but he was still determined that Duo would get his apologize. Quickly typing that Duo had to ring the bell, he grabbed his wallet, jacket, and hurried downstairs. His father was nowhere in sight and Heero wasn't really surprised. Hearing the doorbell, he opened the door and was met with a sight that was directly taken out of a wet dream.  
  
On his font porch was Duo, dressed in the tightest leather pants he'd ever seen and his faithful leather jacket. His hair was still braided, but it was looser than normal. Hearing the door open, Duo turned and smiled. Heero could feel his heart stop in his chest and his breath hitched. The sleeveless shirt the teen was wearing was, if possible, tighter than the pants and around his neck was the silver cross. Gathering his wits, Heero smiled and showed him inside.  
  
Duo looked around in the hall while Heero bent down to slip on his shoes. "You sure it's safe, Hee-chan? I don't want your old man to decapitate me again."  
  
"I won't."  
  
Mr. Yuy's strict voice filled the hall and Heero could almost see how Duo's heart stopped in his chest. Turning, Duo laughed a nervous laugh and blushed. "E-he-he... Hi there, Mr. Yuy. Didn't see you there. Sorry, sir." Heero got up and gave his dad a warning glare.  
  
"It's okay, Maxwell. No offence taken and no need to apologize for anything. If anything, I should apologize to you." Sighing, Mr. Yuy took a deep breath and scratched his neck. "I treated you very unfairly yesterday and I would like to apologize over my behavior."  
  
Raising his hand, Duo smiled. "No need to, sir. I guess you just want to protect your son." Nodding, Mr. Yuy walked over patted Duo's shoulder. "That's my intentions exactly. And I hope I can trust him with you." Nodding, Duo smiled a nervous smile and Mr. Yuy removed his hand. "Well, then. Enjoy yourself, boys. And Heero, if you're late, please be quiet." Nodding, Heero slipped on his jacked and walked out with Duo after him.  
  
On the outside, Duo let out a deep breath. "Man, he had me there for a second. I was sure he would kill me or something."  
  
Smiling, Heero nodded and let out a breath of his own. He knew that his dad didn't mean everything he said, but it was good enough for now. He just hoped when he got to know Duo a little better, he would apologize for real. Turning to face his friend, Heero smiled. "Where to?"  
  
Nodding down the street, Duo grinned. "To Quatre. Rashid will drive us there in the limo." Winking, Duo lifted his hands to rest them behind his head. "We'll be arriving to the disco with style, tonight."  
  
Laughing, Heero ran his hand through his bangs. "And how are we getting home, huh? I'm sure some of us will be too drunk to get home on their own." Raising his eyebrows, Duo pouted. "Don't look at me. The last party I was on, Wuffers got more drunk than me. Besides, it's not that far away, we can easily walk. It'll take us 20 minutes. Half an' hour at the most." Shrugging, Duo scratched his nose. "Well, maybe 40 minutes if we're drunk beyond our wits." Snorting, Heero rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me, baka. I'm not planning on getting drunk."  
  
Grinning, Duo threw his arm around the slightly shorter teens shoulder. "No one plans to get drunk, it just happens. Wufei didn't plan to get drunk at the party, but he was the one that ended up hugging porcelain."  
  
Quickly walking the last bocks, they could see the black limo waiting outside of Quatre's house. Hurrying to the door, they rung the bell and was let in by Rashid. "Master Heero and Master Duo. The others are waiting for you and Master Wufei in the lounge." Nodding, they walked into the lounge beside the hall and were greeted by Quatre and Trowa.  
  
While Duo walked over to tease the happy couple, Heero settled down in a chair and looked at the others outfit. Quatre was dressed much like himself, but his jeans were light brown and his shirt was blue. Trowa was dressed in a green shirt, and blue pants that looked like they were painted onto his body. Shaking his head, Heero was amazed that it was possible to have a tighter outfit than Duo was wearing.  
  
A few minutes later Wufei showed up, dressed in white pants and a shirt. His jet black hair was pulled back in it's usual ponytail and he was wearing a long black coat. Huffing, he crossed his arms. "Well, are we going soon," he barked impatiently, making Duo snigger. "Did ya hear that? Wu-man's impatient. He wants to go tango as soon as possible." Giggling, Quatre pulled Trowa into the hall, followed by Heero, Duo and Wufei. Soon, everybody was inside the limo and was on their way to the disco.  
  
"Oh, man. This is gonna be so cool!" Duo was bouncing up and down on his set and Wufei hid his face with his hands, muttering, "How am I holding up with this guy? Why can't I pick some sane friends?"  
  
Grinning, Duo moved from his spot beside Heero to wrap his hands around the Chinese neck and gave him a big hug. With a snarl, Wufei pushed the laughing teen away, ignoring the laughter from Quatre and Trowa, and missing the piercing glare form a very jealous Heero. He wanted hugs like that too.  
  
Looking at the two of them, he sighed and stared out the window instead, watching as buildings and streams of people passed by. Soon they were stationed outside the disco. After thanking Rashid for the lift, they made their way to the door were a very grumpy looking man was standing.  
  
"You kids got some ID?"  
  
Fumbling around in their pockets, they gave their ID's to the man while Duo muttered something about 'I now I'm short, but that's insulting'. Quickly checking ID's, he looked over the group again before handing the ID's back and opening the door. Grinning, Duo walked up and waived his hand to the others. "Well? You coming or what?"  
  
Nodding, they followed Duo into a wardrobe where they had to deliver their jackets. After making sure they had everything of value with them, they made their way through a mass of people and onto the dance floor. The music was pumping trough the speakers and Heero thought he could barely turn without bumping into someone. Loosing sight of the others, he also started panicking. Suddenly he felt a hand on his arm and was dragged over the bar. Quickly seeing it was Duo, he settled down again and let himself be dragged to the bar were he now could see that the other's were waiting.  
  
Soon, the lot of them were gathered by the bar, watching as Duo ordered them a beer each. Quickly paying the bar man, he handed them a beer each and grinned. "Cheers everybody, and happy birthday, T-bone."  
  
Watching as everybody lifted their glass to clink with Duo's, Heero did the same and yelled "Happy Birthday" to a blushing Trowa. Taking a gulp, he coughed and put his glass on the disk. Laughing, Duo walked over to pat Heero's back. "Easy, buddy, or you'll choke. Just sip it and you'll be fine and if you don't want it, I'll take it."  
  
Shaking his head, Heero smiled a faint small smile. "No, I'll go easy on it. Don't worry. I'm just not used to drinking." Nodding, Duo smiled. "That's cool. But don't drink if you don' want too. No pressure. Right, guys?" Turing to watch the others, Heero could see them nod. Quatre gently sipped his own beer and put it down. "No need to drink if you don't want too. I'll probably use the entire evening on this one."  
  
Smirking, Duo gave Heero's back one last pat and returned to his own beer. "You say that, but I bet you'll be the drunkest of us all. You were a good number two at the last party. Right after Wuffers, that is." Winking to a deep red Wufei, Heero could see as the Chinese emptied his first glass in a hurry and ordered a new one. Laughing, Duo gulped down his own beer. "Go easy, Wu-bear, or you won't last the night."  
  
Scowling, Wufei grabbed the new beer and silently drank it. The song shifted and the most horrible English Heero had ever heard filled the room. Barking in joy, Duo lifted his hands to swing with the music.  
  
"Whoopee, I love this one!" Grabbing Quatre's hand, he winked to Trowa. "I'm gonna borrow your boyfriend here, dude 'cause I know no one else wanna dance with me but him." Nodding, Trowa smiled and watched as Duo dragged a giggling Quatre to the dance floor.  
  
I met this girl in a Birmingham taxi I got there first, but she slipped in before me Just as I was telling her: Hey, this is mine, ho She already told the cabdriver where to go  
  
Me, I always show respect for the ladies, I sat back and let her have it her way, so God lord see me through darkness and light I tell you what I remember from that night  
  
Positioning themselves in a good view in front of Trowa and Heero, Duo and Quatre started dancing. Swaying to the beat of the music, the two teens moved in perfect harmony. They were facing each other, and both had big smiles plastered on their faces. Duo's hands were moving in harmony with the song, his head was tilted backwards and his eyes were closed.  
  
Shaking his head, Trowa smiled and sipped his beer. "How Duo can stand that song is a mystery to me, but I guess it talks to him in some way. But what the song says is beyond me."  
  
Carefully sipping his own beer, Heero looked at the taller teen. "How come Duo's so fond of that song?" Smiling, Trowa emptied his glass. "You'll understand when the chorus comes. It's not his favorite, but he likes it."  
  
Nodding, Heero turned to face the two teens again. And what he saw made his blood boil with jealousy.  
  
'I'm hungry, do you fancy little something to eat? I can't go on forever on cognac and weed' But she was already on her way down in the seat I tried to stop her, Or maybe I didn't  
  
So there I was in a strange situations, The chauffeur said: I can drop you off at the station, I said: Nooo, man. No I told: I'll tell you when to stop, keep your eyes on the road  
  
Quatre now had his back against Duo's front, and the braided teen had a good hold on the blondes hips as he swayed with the music. Grabbing his glass, Heero emptied half the contents in one gulp, before turning over to cough. Two hands were instantly placed over his back and started to rub.  
  
"You okay, Heero?" Nodding, Heero rubbed his throat, trying to ease the burning in it. "H-hai. I just took too more than I could handle." Gently smiling, Heero straightened up and coughed. "I'm fine now."  
  
Nodding, Trowa went back to his new beer. Heero continued to soothe his throat a bit when Trowa spoke up again. "No need to be jealous, you know."  
  
Heero's eyes widened a bit and he turned to face the other teen. "Nani? What did you say?" Trowa shrugged and nodded his head in the direction of Quatre and Duo. "No need to be jealous. Duo isn't interested in Quatre that way, and he's not the type to steal other peoples lovers. Quatre is the only one that's willing to dance with him as we are no match against them on the dance floor."  
  
Looking down, Heero wound his shoes very interesting. "Don't be afraid of liking him more than just a friend, Heero." Jerking his head up, he gave Trowa the best glare he could possible give with flushed covered face. "And who says I like him more than just a friend. I can't remember saying anything about me liking him like that."  
  
Smiling, Trowa shook his head. "No, you've been very good to hide your own feelings. But Quatre is more responsive to human emotions than others and he can feel the desire you have for Duo, as well as he picked up the little body language you have."  
  
Lowering his head in a silent defeat, Heero felt his cheeks burn even harder. A careful hand on his shoulder made him look up again and faced a deep green eyed, filled with understanding and respect. "Don't be ashamed over it, Heero. You being attracted to Duo isn't such a strange thing."  
  
"Huh?" Smiling, Trowa pointed at Duo as he had moved away from the blonde and was dancing on his own. "Duo is... A very sensual being. His slender, almost feminine and fragile frame makes him look vulnerable and small. But inside him is a glow that gives him strength and it shows in the way he acts and moves. Being as slender and pale as he is, people think he's weak, but if they take a closer look, they notice that Duo is much stronger than he appears to be, both mentally and physically. He's been through more than most teens at our age have, and it has evolved him in many ways." Turning to face Heero, Trowa continued. "Duo is a being of light and movement. If he doesn't shine, something is wrong. He's move clever than he shows and in his chest beats a heart of gold. He never has a bad word to say about anybody unless they hurt him first. He believes in giving second chances to those who deserves it, but he's not stupid. He knows who deserves them and who's not. And he might be a flirt and a tease, but he's not easy. He hasn't given himself to anyone since Peter." Looking at Heero, his smile disappeared. "I recon he's told you about Peter by now."  
  
"Hai, he has."  
  
The smile reappeared on Trowa's face and he chuckled a little. "I didn't know Duo that well back then, but I knew that he had his problems. He was still struggling with the thought of being gay and he was still feeling the after taste of his condition after his parents died. When Wufei rescued him, everybody thought that his spirit had died. But somehow, it was stronger than before. He wasn't afraid anymore and he changed to be even better. He was always the goof-ball, but his will and spirit had received a new glow."  
  
Sighing, Trowa turned to face the dancing teen. "Duo became ... Duo."  
  
You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay? You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay? You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay  
  
Heero gently moved his head from the dancing teen and looked at Trowa's smiling face. "Why are you telling me this? I already know how strong and amazing Duo is. I was drawn to him the first time I met him."  
  
"I know. And that's why I'm telling you this. I think that you need him. You've told us yourself that you never had someone close to you. You've never had anyone to love, because you've never needed anyone. You're used to doing things on your own, being alone." Trowa sifted his gaze so that he staring directly into Heero's eyes. "Doing things the way your father wished. You've never been able to live on your own. Then Duo came along. He showed you life and friendship, gave you life and friendship without wanting anything else but the same back. He showed you how to live, and now you need him." Adding a little smile, Trowa patted Heero's shoulders. "Just as much as Duo needs you." Winking, Trowa removed his hand. "If you don't want to tell him, then show him. I know you're a man of actions, not of words."  
  
Two hours later, she was still at it The driver had to refill gasoline and shit 'Baby, baby, introduce yourself What's your name, girl?' 'My name is Fred' 'Fred?' 'Fred, yeah' Fred, oh what, oh what did you say? Now that put me back a bit because I'm not gay Now that put me back a bit because I'm not gay  
  
Heero never got the chance to reply before a panting Quatre waltzed back into his boyfriends arms. Seconds after a grinning Duo came back. "Where did ya go, Quatre? Giving up so soon?" Giggling, Quatre nodded. "Yes, I can't keep up with you. You need someone with more stamina than me because I need a break."  
  
Grinning, Duo looked at Heero. "Whaddaya say, Hee-chan? You up for the challenge?" Heero started to protest, but was soon pushed into Duo by a laughing Trowa. "Come on, Heero. Make it my birthday present number two." Grinning, Duo grabbed Heero's wrist and dragged him onto the dance floor while yelling "Look after Wuffers, will ya? I think he's on his third beer."  
  
Duo continued to drag them through the massive crowd of dancing people until they were beside the stage were the DJ was standing. "Come on, Heero. Show me what you got!"  
  
Throwing his arms out Heero yelled over the music. "I don't have anything! I don't know how to dance!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't know how to dance!"  
  
Smiling, Duo stared to move with the song and yelled "Nobody does! You're supposed to let yourself go with the flow!"  
  
So whatever kind of trouble you might get yourself into, Just think of me that night, and what I went through I thought it was a hell of a woman, or whatever, giving me head Until I realized it was this dude called Fred 'Hello'  
  
And I was the Birmingham Ho, hey Ho hey Oh, hey  
  
And I was the Birmingham Ho, hey Ho hey Oh, hey, ho hey  
  
Take it away now  
  
"But, Duo! What if I make a total jerk of myself?!"  
  
Duo stopped and looked at Heero. "That's what your afraid off?!" Nodding, Heero looked down and blushed. Feeling his friends hand on his shoulder he looked up so he at least could read on his lips what he wanted to say. "Heero, look around! Everybody's making an idiot of themselves! They don't notice! They don't care!"  
  
Shaking his head, Heero looked down only to have his head lifted up again. Gazing into Duo's warm blue eyes he felt his heart speeding up it's usual pace. "Heero! What if I make it a bit easier for you?!"  
  
"How?!"  
  
Winking, Duo released his friend and grabbed hold of the stage. "Just watch me!" With that, he jumped onto the stag and grabbed a mike that was lying on the DJ's table. Before anyone got a chance to react, Duo started to sing with the song.  
  
Hold on a minute, now that's bullshit You told me it was a microphone and wanted me to sing in it! I have a lot off friends and I do lots of things for them I don't think it's me, I think it's you that have a problem! So sit up and try to be a gentleman I have feelings too and I don't need you to hurt them! So sit up and try to be a gentleman So sit up and try to be a man!  
  
The people instantly noticed a new voice on stage and most of the dancing people turned to face the signing teen. The DJ just shrugged and let Duo finish the verse since the people seemed to like the teen. When Duo tossed the mike back, the people applauded as Duo got onto his knees to face Heero. "See?! Now we both can look stupid!"  
  
Laughing, Heero let himself be dragged onto the stage with Duo and watched as the braided teen moved. Trying his best to mimic the movements, he felt that it wasn't so bad after all. Sure, the people were looking at them, but they were clapping with the rhythm, encouraging them to go in. Grinning, Duo moved so he was standing behind the other teen and gently placed his hands on Heero's hips, guiding him into the rhythm.  
  
You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay? You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay? You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay  
  
You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay? You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay? You don't have to be gay, to make a friend feel good, okay  
  
And I was the Birmingham Ho, hey Ho hey Oh, hey  
  
And I was the Birmingham Ho, hey Ho hey Oh, hey, ho hey Ho hey Ho Hey Ho hey  
  
As the last of the crappy tunes died, so did Heero's shyness. The people were dancing again, only throwing glances at them a couple of times before forgetting them. Giving the teen behind him one last look, Heero smiled and let himself go with the flow until the song was finished. When it did end, Duo let go off his hips and hopped down from the stage. Heero followed him only to get his arms full of bouncing Duo. "See?! I told you it would be great! Now lets hear what the others have to say!"  
  
Grabbing his hand, Duo guided them back to the bar were the three others were waiting. Heero couldn't help but notice the four empty glasses of beer beside the normally stoic teen. Said teen seemed a little out off place and was swaying a bit.  
  
Quatre was clapping and hugged the slightly panting teen. "Heero, you did it! You were great up there. Everybody was clapping!" Wufei snorted. "You were the only one clapping, Quat. The others forgot them after five seconds," he slurred before Duo pushed him away. "You've had enough for now, buddy!"  
  
Wufei stuck out his tongue and giggled over his own silliness before returning to his beer number five. Shrugging, Duo ordered himself a new beer. "Wonder how much money he brought. We better keep an eye on him. I don't wanna be the one that has to drag him home." Everybody started to laugh, even Wufei, but Heero wasn't too sure if Wufei knew what he was laughing off.  
  
The evening passed and the party started to break up. Wufei staggered out of the disco just a few hours past midnight. Trowa, being the only one that was just about sober, followed him out to make sure he got cab. An hour later, Heero staggered his way to a dancing Duo. Grabbing Duo's shirt to steady himself up, he tried to focus on the other teen.  
  
"Duo," he slurred and looked down.  
  
"What's up, Heero?" Duo answered, but he never stopped his movement. Heero looked back up and tried to make the bitter taste in his throat go away. "I wanna leave, Duo. I wanna leave."  
  
Nodding, Duo gently laid his hand around Heero's neck and together they made their way towards a dancing Trowa and Quatre. Well, it wasn't exactly dancing, as Trowa just swayed with the song while supporting a too drunk Quatre.  
  
"Yo, T-bone! We're leaving now," Duo slurred, only to be stopped by Heero. "You don't have to go, Duo. You can stay."  
  
Winking, Duo staggered over to the wardrobe to fetch his jacket. "S'no problem, Hee-chan. The others will leave soon too, anyways. I'll follow you home so you can sleep." Heero staggered over at Duo and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "No," he murmured. "Not home! I don't want to go home!"  
  
Blinking, Duo gently removed Heero's arms. "Take it easy, buddy. What do you wanna do then?"  
  
Shaking his head, Heero sat down onto the floor. "I wanna think straight again. I wanna......... I wanna get rid of this fuss I have in my head." Sniggering, Duo helped Heero up and fetched Heero's jacket. "Then we'll walk it off. It's a park near by, we can walk there, you're just tipsy, so no problem."  
  
Nodding, Heero let Duo slide on his jacket and grabbed his arm. "Okay... Let's go. I wanna go." Wrapping his arm around the teens shoulder, Duo supported him out of the disco and out on the street. They didn't say anything as they walked, they just observed other teens that were staggering around in the city, drunk beyond their wits. Duo chuckled at the sight and pointed out the silliest to Heero. After a while, they reached the park and slowed their pace. After a while, Heero could feel his head clear up and muttered that he wanted to sit. Finding a bench, Duo brushed some dead leafs off and they sat down.  
  
"Feelin' better?"  
  
"H-hai. Thank you, Duo." Heero gave him a weak smile and bent over to get the sickening feeling away from his stomach. Hopefully he wouldn't throw up in front of Duo. Stretching, Duo nodded and moved his hands to the back of his head. "No prob, dude. Just give the word and I'll follow you home."  
  
"I don't wanna go home, yet. I need to sober up a bit more first." Grinning, Duo patted his back. "You need something to eat, and when I'm feeling nauseas I always eat something salty. And since you want time to sober up, we need something to kill time. And were do we find salt stuff and time we can kill at this hour?"  
  
"Don't know," Heero muttered and rubbed his head. Duo got onto his feat and pulled Heero up with him. "At the local Cineplex, of course. They're open at all hours because of some movie marathon or something. I'll pay for the tickets if you treat us with popcorn and sodas."  
  
Heero looked at his grinning friends face and smiled. "Hai, okay. I guess that's a way to sober up." Nodding, Duo dragged them in the direction of the Cineplex. "It is a good way. And if you get a head ache, just shove your fingers into ya ears."  
  
Laughing, they walked to the Cineplex. Settling with a fairly calm comedy movie, Duo went to purchase the tickets while Heero tried his best to walk straight so he could get the popcorn. Luckily, Heero had pretty much control over his body now so the guard didn't say anything when he and Duo walked past him after showing him their tickets. Settling down at the back row, Duo instantly started to munch on the popcorn. Shoving the bucket onto Duo's lap, he silently thanked God for buying a big bucket. Soon the lights went out and the movie started.  
  
Heero figured out pretty quickly that he wasn't able to focus on the movie. His head wasn't directly spinning, but he was getting dizzy and he wasn't able to grasp the plot. Putting down his cup of soda, he moved his hands to the armrest, only to find that one of Duo's hands was occupying one of them. Blushing when he felt the warm, soft hand against his, he yanked it back. Duo turned his head and smiled. "S'okay, Heero. No need to be embarrassed."  
  
Heero nodded and folded his hands onto his lap. After a while of throwing quick glances at the braided teen next to him, he felt strangely bold. The soft hand against his own had left him wanting more. Maybe it was the sudden urge he got to touch the other teen again, maybe it was the reminder of alcohol in his blood. Heck, maybe it even was the fact that they were sitting on the back row, but Heero didn't care. Carefully he laid his hand on top of the other teen's hand. He could hear Duo's breathe hitch and slowly watched as the other teen turned his head. Quickly focusing on the movie, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Duo turned his head away again. So far so good.  
  
Gently stroking his thumb over the other teen's hand, he felt Duo move. Afraid that Duo would back his hand, he stopped the stroking. But to his surprise Duo turned his hand so that they were laying palm against palm. He felt how Duo's fingers gently caressed his own and almost gasped as he felt Duo's fingers slide between his own, entwining their hands together.  
  
Giving the hand a quick squeeze Heero smiled. Maybe Trowa was right. Maybe Duo needed him too. It seemed like it. But then again, it could be the alcohol speaking. But people used to tell the truth under the influence of alcohol. Maybe Duo was being nice because Heero was tipsy. The thought continued to haunt him until he noticed the credits rolling over the screen and the lights were turned back on. Pulling his hand back, he got up and looked at Duo. Duo smiled and started to move out of the row of chairs. "You okay there, Heero? You feeling better now?"  
  
"Hai, I'm good now. I think I'll head home."  
  
Grinning, Duo patted Heero's back as he passed the braided teen. "That's cool. I'll follow you then so I'm sure you get home in one piece. It's not good to walk home alone at this hour." Nodding, Heero followed silently as Duo made their way out of the Cineplex.  
  
Duo rambled about the movie the entire way home towards Heero's house and not once did he mention the 'hand incident'. And for that, Heero felt a mixture of relief and sadness. He was hoping Duo could say something about it, yet he wished that Duo would just forget about the whole thing. All too soon, they were standing outside of Heero's door.  
  
"Whelp, this is you. Hope you manage to stumble upstairs on your own now." Heero smirked and searched his pockets for his keys. Carefully unlocking the door, Heero smiled. "Thank you for taking care of me. I don't know were I would have been if you hadn't taken care of me."  
  
Winking, Duo patted Heero's shoulder and could almost feel a fire burning between the two of them. "Not to worry, okay. I was a bit tipsy myself so I needed the walk. Besides, saves us both a hangover tomorrow, eh? Unlike Wufei." Winking, Duo stepped down from the porch. "Well, g'night, Hee-chan. And remember to be quiet."  
  
Heero nodded. "I will. Oyasumi, Duo."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Duo smiled. "You said that yesterday too. I barely hear it, but I know you said it. What does it mean?"  
  
Blushing, Heero looked down. "It's Japanese for 'Good Night'." Smiling, Duo waived. "Well, oya-whatever back at ya, Heero. Sleep tight."  
  
Turning, Duo wrapped his jacked around himself a bit tighter. It was getting rater chilly and he wanted home to his bed. He wanted to stay and talk with Heero some more too, but he could see that the other teen was tired. Hurrying out of the gate, he heard someone calling for him.  
  
"Matta, Duo!"  
  
Turning, Duo watched as Heero came running down the roan towards him. His eyes widened a bit as Heero grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him down to let lips met lips.  
  
It was pure madness, but he had to try. He had to know. As Trowa had said, he was a man of actions, not of word, and boy was he taking action now. Calling Duo's name, telling him to wait, he could see the other teen turn. He could see the shocked face as he stopped in front of him and he could see his eyes widen as he grabbed the front of Duo's jacket to pull him down for a kiss.  
  
Neither of the teens moved. Everything was silent. Then lips began to move on their own. Gently stroking his tongue over Heero's lower lip, Duo asked for entrance. Heero granted it but slightly parting his lips. Gently moving his hands from Duo's jacket to his neck, Heero sighed as he felt the soft skin under his fingertips. Duo's own hand moved over his sides before wrapping themselves around Heero's waist, pulling him close.  
  
They stood like that, softly kissing until air became necessary and they had to pull away. Duo was slightly panting and removed his hands from Heero's waist, but didn't say anything. Heero let his shyness go and grabbed Duo's chin so they could stare into each others eyes. "Omae wa ore no mono da, Duo." Gently stroking his fingers over Duo's cheek, Heero smiled and let him go. Duo looked after him, a blush of his own creeping over his face. Turning, Heero waived. "Oyasumi, Duo. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah. Yeah, tomorrow, Heero." Duo continued to watch Heero until he disappeared inside. Hearing the door shut, he turned while stroking finger over his lips. Heero had kissed him. Heero had just kissed him. Kissed him. Walking towards his home and bed, Duo smiled, but didn't dare to hope anything.  
  
"Well, shit, people," he murmured and wrapped his arms around himself. "You think you know a guy and he does something like that. I surely didn't see that one coming."  
  
Author's Notes: The title means "You belong to me, Duo". I just thought it fitted with the story. But there you have it. The first kiss. The first off many. Let the fun stuff begin. Oh, man, I'm so totally looking forward to the next chapters. What do you think? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. points at the review button Thankee! And remember what I say. Hugs and Gundam pilots too those who reviews. 


	18. Worth a Shot

New Hope Home  
  
Heyo. How's it going? Satisfied now (Kami, I hope you are)? DarrkKatt: Relax, Heero, Duo, Quatre and Wufei is 18, Trowa turned 19 in the last chapter. MoonTear and animegirl171: Omae O Korosu it Japanese for 'I will kill you' (no offence, but I though everybody would know that by now). Oh, and for you that didn't know what the title means, it's Japanese for 'You belong to me, Duo' (didn't I write that under 'Author's notes?). Gundam Gurl 06: The song's called 'The Birmingham Ho and it's by Morten Abel. Mite Mite: Thank you very much for the sexy bishounen show. O.O It certanly gave me inspiration for a certain chapter that will appear later in the fix (are they always that flexible?). But I hope you liked the chappie. The feedback I got was much appreciated (I had happy tears running down my cheeks), so here you have the next one. Hope you'll like this one too. Enjoy!  
  
"Worth a Shot:"  
  
When Heero woke up the next morning, he felt like shit. His head was slightly aching and his mouth had a funny after taste. Had he even remembered to brush his teeth? According to the taste in his mouth, he hadn't. Everything from last night was a little blurry and when he glanced at his watch, he discovered why. He had only slept for about three hours. The clock was only seven and he was still lying in the clothes from yesterday. What was it with him and waking up early every morning?  
  
Gently moving over to lie on his side, he winched from the gentle throbbing in his head. Surely, he didn't have that much last night. But then again, he wasn't a everyday drinker. Small amounts of alcohol had much greater influence on him then the others. But hadn't he felt better after that walk with Duo?  
  
Jerking his eyes up in a wide-open position, all the memories from yesterday came flooding back into his mind. The dancing, Trowa's tale and advice, the walk in the park with Duo. His eyes became even wider as he remembered them holding hands during the movie. And the kiss.  
  
Gently sitting up, he covered his face with his hands; various thought swimming around in his still foggy brain. Why the fuck had he kissed Duo? He didn't even know if Duo liked him the way Heero did. Sure, Duo was gay, but that didn't mean he would go after everything with two legs and a dick, both Duo and Trowa had said so themselves. He didn't regret the kiss, but he had done it without asking. He wouldn't be surprise if Duo would ditch him now. He had jeopardized their entire friendship just because he couldn't take the fact of being alone while the others seemed to have someone to love. Trowa had Quatre, Wufei still loved Meilan, and Duo... Duo had all the guys love as well as having Helen, Father Maxwell and a bunch off kids who loved him. He only had his mothers love. His father...  
  
Removing his hands from his face, Heero moved his head to stare out his window. He guessed his father loved him, but he didn't support him. Every time he did something good, his father expected him to do better the next time. If someone was smarter than Heero, he would have to become smarter. If someone was stronger, mentally or physically, Heero had to become stronger.  
  
Heero continued to stare out of the window until he heard movements out in the hall outside of his room. Guessing it was his parents making themselves ready for work, he crept down under the blankets. He felt even more like shit now than he did half an hour ago. He would have to call Duo later. They needed to talk. If Duo remembered. Feeling his eyelids go heavier by the second, Heero let himself back into a restless, dreamless state of sleep.  
  
Heero did get a couple more hours of sleep, but he was still dead tired when he woke up. Glancing over at the clock on the bedside table, he figured out that he might as well get up. Dragging his body to the bathroom, he peeled of his shirt and let it fall into the hamper. Pants and underwear went the same way and soon he was standing in the shower. His back was resting against the wall and his eyes were closed. He just had to call Duo today. They really needed to talk. But what if Duo just hung up on him when he called? Maybe he should go over to the orphanage. Surely, Duo wouldn't make a scene in front of the children there.  
  
Sighing, he banged his head against the wall. He'd really messed things up now.  
  
Staying in the shower for nearly half an hour, Heero yelped as the water turned slightly cold and turned it off. Dressing in a baggy sweat pants and a big t-shirt, Heero made his way down to the kitchen. He watched as the coffeemaker did its thing and when the black substance was finished, he poured himself a cup and sat down. Sighing, Heero tried to figure up a good explanation as well as a proper apologize for the events last night, but couldn't think up one. He'd never been good with words, he'd mostly acted on his own emotions. Maybe he should try that now. Shaking his head, Heero sighed again and took a deep gulp out of his coffee. It was because he'd acted on his emotions last night that he believed that he was in a possible bad position right now. He didn't know if Duo was angry with him. Trowa did say that Duo needed him too, but in what situation? Did Duo need him in friendship? Love? Heero didn't know, but he wanted to find out. He had to talk with his braided friend.  
  
Empting his cup, Heero placed it in the dishwasher and walked back to his room. Finding his phone on his desk, he picked it up to call Duo. Looking down at the numbers, Heero lifted his finger to dial Duo's number. And hesitated. Never had it been so hard to call up his braided friend. After what seemed like an eternity, Heero's finger finally cooperated with Heero's brain and dialed the number.  
  
It didn't take long until Duo's merry voice filled his ear. "Hey, you up, Heero? How's it going?"  
  
Gently smiling, Heero replied. "Yes, I'm up and walking."  
  
"No hangover then? Then you're luckier than Fei-Fei. I called him half an' hour ago and he asked me to go to a very warm place."  
  
Laughing, Heero sat down onto the bed. "I was slightly dizzy when I woke up, but rather than that I'm good. How about you?" Heero could hear him chuckle in the other end and smiled. "A small head ache when I woke up, but I think it was because I fell out of bed, head first. Only God knows how I was able to fall asleep in that position. But I took a shower and now I'm cool."  
  
"That's good." Swallowing, Heero looked down on his lap. "Duo? Could over later? There's something I really think we should talk about. Something...Something that happened last night." Heero heard the other end fall silent and he could feel how the blood in his veins started pumping. After a second or two, Duo's voice was heard. "Yeah...Yeah, I think we should talk about what happened last night."  
  
"How... How soon can you be over? Or if you want me too-"  
  
"No, I'll come over, Heero. Just give me half an' hour or so. I gotta help make the kids ready for a trip to the park."  
  
Swallowing, Heero nodded, mostly to himself. Duo didn't sound mad. "Okay. I'll...I'll see you then."  
  
"Yeah. Later, Hee-chan."  
  
"Later." Hanging up, Heero sighed. Half the job was done. Now he had to confront Duo and talk. That would be the hardest part, but there was no turning back now.  
  
"Peg in hole," Heero muttered to himself. "Child's play. Nothing to worry about. Duo will understand." Sighing, Heero stared at his bedroom door. "Hopefully," he added silently under his breath and got onto his feet. Silently walking downstairs, he placed himself on the couch. And waited.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally heard the doorbell ring and he got onto his feet. Running towards the front door, he silently hoped that Duo would start the conversation. He still didn't have a clue about what to say. Stopping in front of the door, Heero sighed and slowly opened the door.  
  
Duo was standing on the front porch, back towards him. When he heard the door open, he turned and smiled. "Heyo, Heero."  
  
"Hey, Duo." Opening the door wider, Heero let his friend in. Silently watching as Duo slipped off his shoes, he prayed that things would turn out just fine. Bending back up, Duo smiled and scratched the back of his neck. Heero gently rubbed his left hand and looked away. "You want something to drink, Duo?" Damn, why was he suddenly so shy? He acted as if he'd never seen Duo before.  
  
"I'd have some coffee if it isn't too much trouble." Shaking his head, Heero turned to face Duo and smiled. "No, there's a pot of freshly made coffee in the kitchen. Let's go there. Then we can...Talk." Nodding, Duo followed Heero into the kitchen. Gently placing himself on a chair, he watched as Heero poured him a cup before returning to the table. "Here."  
  
"Thanks, Heero."  
  
Sitting down across from his braided friend, Heero took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Listen, Duo. About last night-"  
  
"I'm not mad at you, Heero." Heero's eyes widened a bit when he heard Duo's words. Duo's face was serious, but his lips were curled into a tiny, reassuring smile. "I'm not mad at you, Heero. I'm not mad about the hand thing or the kiss. Surprised, yes, but not mad."  
  
"You're not mad?"  
  
Shaking his head, Duo's smile became wider. "I'm not mad." Bending over, Duo gently laid a careful hand over Heero's. "And I think I know why you did it."  
  
Heero's eyes widened. "You do?"  
  
Winking, Duo nodded. "Yup. You wanted to experiment a little, huh?" Heero looked at Duo. He wasn't entirely sure what the braided teen was talking about. Duo noticed the silence and continued. "Remember a couple of days ago? We were on our way to visit Quatre and you'd asked me all those questions? Remember that you told me that you were beginning to question yourself?"  
  
Heero nodded. "Hai, I do."  
  
"Well, just like I experimented with different types of porn, you decided to experiment with another guy, right?" Heero opened his mouth to say that he wasn't using Duo as an experiment, but Duo silenced him. "Okay, bad wording. What I mean was that, you're confused and yesterday you wanted to find out what you really are. So you just grabbed the first and best guy you could find, which happened to be me. And quite frankly, I'm glad you did."  
  
"You are?"  
  
Laughing, Duo squeezed Heero's hand. "Yes, I am. I'd rather have you come to me than going out on the street alone and ending up doing something you might regret later." Winking, Duo let go of Heero's hand. "But ask next time, okay. I'd be more that happy to help you, but kissing me like that would just take me by surprise."  
  
Heero chuckled and suddenly he felt much calmer. Duo thought he was just trying to find himself. As the thought slowly slipped into Heero's mind, the smile disappeared from his lips. He was right at square one. Duo still didn't know that Heero liked him more than just a friend, and quite frankly he couldn't hide it anymore. He wanted Duo to know. Almost as he noticed the battle in Heero's head, Duo once again laid his hand over Heero's and gave him a worried look. "You okay?"  
  
Heero slowly looked into his friends Cobalt blue eyes. "Duo...About this experiment thing...It couldn't have been just anyone. I couldn't have done it with just anyone. I had to be you."  
  
Blushing, Duo smiled. "Well, I'm flattered that you trust me that much, but I don't think I'm following you." Pulling his hand back from Duo's grasp, Heero got onto his feet and started to pace around in the kitchen. "Duo, what I'm trying to say is that I was only interested in doing it with you. I've looked at Quatre and Trowa, and I've seen how Wufei still loves Meilan and I've looked into my own feelings and..."  
  
Duo looked at him eyes wide open. Could it be? Was Heero trying to say what he though he was? Stopping his pace, Heero threw his arms out in a silent defeat. "Duo, what I'm trying to say is that I like you more than just a friend. I want to be...More than just a friend. I want us to be like Quatre and Trowa." Looking down, Heero tried to hide his sad look. But it was also the fact that he couldn't look at his friend anymore. "I want to be with you...In a relationship."  
  
Silence immediately filled the room and Heero expected that at any moment he would hear Duo walk out of the room. Out of his life. When he heard the chair move and the noise of walking, he sighed. He'd lost. Duo would leave. But surprise struck him as he felt a soft hand on his chin and felt his head being slowly lifted upwards until two pools of heavenly blue filled his gaze.  
  
Duo gave him a gentle smile and moved his hand from Heero's chin so he could brush over his cheek. "Heero..."  
  
Heero didn't answer, he only let his head tilt to one side and soon two pair of lips met in a much bolder kiss. It only lasted for a couple of seconds and when Duo pulled back, Heero sighed in disappointment. "Heero..."  
  
Razing his hand to silence Duo, Heero smiled a sad smile. "It's okay, Duo. I understand. You don't have the same feelings for me as I have for you. That kiss was only to make me feel better and you're gonna walk away now." Gently removing Duo's hand from his cheek, Heero looked away. "I know I've ruined things between us now, but I hope we can still be friends. I won't do anything towards you. I hope you trust and know me enough to know I won't do that."  
  
Hearing Duo's soft laugh, Heero turned. Locking his eyes on Duo, Heero watched as Duo ran a hand through his bangs. "Yeah, sure, Heero. We can still be friends. But after what you told me, things won't be the same again, ya know."  
  
Heero blushed, but he never removed his eyes from Duo. Taking a step towards him, Heero started to ramble. "Yeah, I know, but I hope we can still be together as friend because I don't really have anyone else and I don't wanna be with anyone else, besides you're the only one who really understands me and since I've been having these feelings for a while you know I can hide them and I guess I'll come over them and-"Gently placing a finger over Heero's lips, Duo smiled. "Surely I hope you won't lock your feelings up. That's very dangerous, ya know. Trust me, I know. And I most certainly wouldn't want you to ignore how you feel towards me, especially when I feel the same way towards you."  
  
Grinning, Duo removed his finger to give Heero a quick peck. Seeing the shocked face, Duo's grin widened and he stepped back to sit on the kitchen table. "Remember that day when you found me in the library? The day I let Relena get to me? The reason I was there in the first place was that Relena had somehow picked up that I was feeling something more than just a friendship towards you. She completely set me out." Shaking his head, Duo replaced his grin with a normal smile. "I was scared shitless, because when you first appeared, I honestly found you attractive. But I don't base my relationship on looks, and the reason I approach you later after giving back your book, was to make friends. You were new, you looked lost and I though you needed a friend. That was my true intentions. Friendship. But as time went by and I got to know you, Hee-chan, my feelings changed. I saw myself fall for you. And I didn't want that to happen because I didn't want to scare you away. I was embarrassed too because I've never fallen for one of my friends before."  
  
Smiling, Duo scratched his neck. "But I fell for you because even though we're completely different, we're also much the same. And when we're together, shooting hoops or just playing with the other guys or just talking, you........." Sighing, Duo placed his hand on his chest. "You complete me. You stir something in my heart and stomach that I've never felt for anyone before."  
  
Looking at Heero, who stared at Duo with eyes wide open, Duo smiled and walked back to his friend. "I don't know if I'm starting to fall in love with you, Hee-chan. That's just to early to say. But I know I'm starting to get a crush on you and I know that I really, really like you."  
  
Heero didn't say anything, his brain was way to busy trying to process and store all this information he just received into his brain. But slowly Duo's word approached him. Duo liked him. Duo had feelings for him too. Duo really, really liked him. Looking deep into his friends eyes, Heero started to chuckle. Startled by the unexpected response, Duo took a step back. "Okay, for once in my life I'm being serious and this is what I get. What did I say?"  
  
Smiling, Heero started deep into Duo's eyes. "Nothing, Duo. I just remembered. You mentioned the time you let Relena get to you. Remember that you later asked me what I said to her and I didn't tell you?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Smiling, Heero ran a hand trough his own bangs. "Well, what I said was that I thought you were twice as hot than she was. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid I would get scared you off."  
  
Laughing, Duo poked Heero's chest. "You told her that? I mean, you really told her that?" Nodding, Heero chuckled. "Yeah. It is the truth, and I know you hate people that lie."  
  
"Well, yeah." Drying away a tear, Duo grinned. "But you could have told me anyway. I probably would have believed you were joking with me, laughed and thanked you." Giving Duo a smile of his own, Heero shook his head. "Well, now you know."  
  
Nodding, Duo gently brushed his fingers over Heero's left hand. "Yeah...Now I know..." Once again, Cobalt blue clashed with Prussian. The smile dropped from both faces, leaving the two teens staring at each other. Gently stroking his fingers over Heero's hand, Duo sighed. "So, what now, Heero?"  
  
Bringing his hand up to stroke over Duo's other hand, Heero smiled. "Well, you like me and I like you. And I wouldn't mind bringing our friendship to a new level."  
  
Nodding, Duo smiled. "You know there's a lot of stuff you have to get used too. People staring, comments."  
  
"Fuck the comments. I've never cared what other people think of me and I never will. What we are doing is between the two of us only. We're the only two involved, right."  
  
Grinning, Duo nodded. "That's right. It's between you and me. I don't know why some people are frowning when they see two guys together when they got nothing to do with it in the first place. They're not involved in the relationship and they never will be. All that matters is what the two that's involved are feeling. And true friends will support them, no matter what."  
  
Smiling, Duo moved his hand from Heero's arm to his side. Gently stroking over Heero's hips, Duo blushed. "We had a discussion last year about homosexuality, and they asked me what I would do if a friend I've known for many years had told me he was gay. And I said I wouldn't do anything. I would be surprised, but the friend would still be the same guy I've always known, just with a different taste. Just because he would be gay, doesn't mean he would hit on me. And it's funny how straight guys always think that gay people will hit on them." Snorting, Duo shook his head. "But you always find out who your friends are if you come out. They are the ones that's supporting you and cheering for you. And you got a whole group of them." Biting his lip, Duo hesitated. "But by all means, Heero. Take your time. If you don't want to do anything, if you wanna wait with the 'coming out of the closet' thing, then I understand. But I strongly suggest that you come out as quick as possible, the longer you wait, the harder it gets and-"  
  
This time it was Heero's turn to silence his soon to be koi. "You talk too much, Maxwell. And didn't I just tell you that I don't care what people say. For all I care, we can go hand in hand at school on Monday. But..." Biting his lips, Heero looked down. "But I wanna wait with telling my parents. My mother wouldn't care, I know, but my father will have a harder time digesting it. I have to find a way to tell him quick and painless."  
  
"Drug him."  
  
Slapping Duo's arm, Heero laughed. Duo smiled and pressed Heero closer to him. "So you wanna give it a shot?"  
  
Smirking, Heero nodded. "Worth a shot, isn't it? And I did tell you last night that you belonged to me." Raising an eyebrow, Duo's smile changed from grin to sly. "A little possessive, are we? And you didn't even know if I liked you back."  
  
Blushing, Heero tried to look down, only to be stopped by Duo's hand. Staring into his eyes, Heero felt as if he was drowning. Feeling the hand move to his neck, he listened to Duo's words. "Going back to your parents. As I said, take your time. We'll do it in your pace. I don't want you to be afraid or ashamed of this. I want you to enjoy it."  
  
Nodding, Heero bent over and brought their lips back. As their tongues wrestled for dominance, he felt Duo's hands over his back and he could feel his own hand encircling his neck. Finally he had someone who he could care for and get the same back. He had found his missing half. He had his Duo and he wouldn't let go. Just as Duo said, there were many things that would change now, but he didn't care. He knew that he would have the 'Fallen Angels' help and support.  
  
And most importantly, he wasn't alone anymore. He had Duo by his side, now more than ever. They would face this together.  
  
Author's Notes: Short chapter and kind of rushed, I know and I'm sorry, but I think it gives you what you want. I'll try to make the next one longer. And I can relate to Heero when it comes to waking up early every morning. I do that all the time. I can go to bed wherever I want, I still wake up around 8 or 9 and ain't able to sleep any longer. I'm an un willing early bird. But about the chapter. What do you think? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. points at the review button Thankee! And remember what I say. Hugs and Gundam pilots too those who reviews. 


	19. First Date

New Hope Home 

Sorry people! I'm so, so, so very sorry for being this gundamned late! But you see, I just got home from my vacation, and believe it or not, the place I went to had no computers I could borrow so I could work on my fic. Sad, but true. There are still places without internet access. Anyways, the basics of the story. The first date. Who can forget those? Now, this chapter may sound a little foolish, but Duo's feelings on this subject is pretty much how I feel as well as what I believe. I'm not expert on the matter of dating or relationships, but oh well. Read and enjoy.

"First Date:"

Duo didn't stay long that day, but they agreed to meet up before school on Monday to discuss what to do. Heero still couldn't care less if they showed up holding hands, but they would figure out a good way to bring the news to the rest of the group. Both guys wanted to come out with a bang, and if they were lucky, Relena would see them, get the hint and get lost. But quite frankly, Heero didn't believe that Relena would.

Duo had called him late Sunday evening to see if he was okay. Even though they stayed away from the mushy talk, Heero felt his heart jump when Duo blew his a light kiss down the line. He also felt his heart ache when they hung up.

Soon it was Monday and after finishing his normal breakfast, coffee and a piece of toast, Heero hurried out the door to meet up with Duo. He was being foolish and childish, he knew that. He knew he was acting like a stupid teenage girl on her way to see her crush, but he really wanted to see him. Really wanted to figure out if it was a dream.

As he approached the place were he normally was assaulted by Relena, he found his black clothed friend waiting for him. Seeing Duo's face shine up, he waived and smiled as Duo returned his gesture.

"Hey," he smiled and gave Duo a quick hug. "I'm surprised to see you here so early." Laughing, Duo grinned. "Wish I could say the same to you, early bird, but I can't." Blushing, Heero slapped Duo's arm. Chuckling, Duo grabbed Heero's wrist and brought his hand up to his lips. "I'm just playing with you, Hee-chan. No, the reason I'm here so early is because I couldn't wait to see you. Call me foolish and a girl, but I really wanted to see you again." Gently placing a chaste kiss on Heero's hand, Duo smiled and shrugged.

Heero gave him a smile of his own and moved his hand so their fingers became entwined. "I felt the same way when I woke up this morning. I don't know why, but since I told you how I felt two days ago and I learned that you felt the same way, I've been so anxious to see you. Even more than before."

Smiling, Duo started to move towards the school. Heero followed since their hands were still entwined. "Yeah, I know. I guess that's part of being in love with some one. Wanting to be with your loved one all the time."

Nodding, Heero squeezed Duo's hand and smiled when he felt Duo do the same. "Hey, Heero?"

"Hai?"

Stopping, Duo turned to face Heero and blushed. "This may sound a bit stupid, but do you wanna go on a date with me today?"

"A date?"

Nodding, Duo blushed some more. "Yeah." Quickly spotting Heero's confused expression, he raided his free hand and smiled. "I know we discussed a lot on Saturday, but I think the both of us is still a bit confused about stuff. I know I like you, and you know you like me, and I really think a date will help us both to see where we're standing in the big scheme of things. You know, it will throw some light over stuff." Clearing his throat, Duo continued. "I'm not saying that I'm not sure we'll be doing good together 'cause I know we will. I mean, we'll still be doing stuff like we did before, but with kissing and most certainly touching on the side. I wanna make sure that this is what we both want, you know?"

Nodding, Hero smiled. "I understand and I guess you're right. As you said, we both know we like each other, but I agree that we should take it one step at a time."

Nodding, Duo smiled and relaxed. "Exactly. Nobody just jumps into a relationship no matter how well they know each other. We'll give it a try and if it goes well, which I'm sure it will, we'll take it further. Almost like a test drive."

Nodding, Heero squeezed Duo's hand. "That's good. But we can still express how we feel, right?" Nodding, Duo looked at Heero. "Yeah, of course, I mean, that's part of being in a relationship and-" Smirking, Heero shut him up by giving him a light kiss on the lips.

"You talk to much," he murmured when he pulled back and dragged a still dazzled Duo after him. "Come on, or we'll be late." Nodding, Duo let himself be dragged instead of doing the dragging for once. He liked the way Heero acted. He seemed so much more......... Livelier than before. And happier. He liked it.

When they appeared at the front gate to the school, Duo gave Heero's hand a quick squeeze before releasing him. "No need to overdo things yet, huh." Giving Duo a quick nod, they walked together into the school area. Nobody threw them a second glance, just as normal. Duo greeted a few girls and stuck out his tongue to a few of the football-players that threw him the usual insults, but nothing unusual. Heero wanted nothing more than to take Duo's hands in his and show them that he too was a queer. He didn't want Duo to carry everything on his own anymore.

Hurrying down the hall, they placed themselves in front of their classroom. Duo brushed a quick hand through his bangs and threw Heero a smile. "I'm glad we're having first class together, even if it is boring as hell."

Laughing, Heero smiled. "Come on, Duo. Mr. Adams isn't that bad. I think his classes are great." Snorting, Duo shook his head. "Then I'm counting on you when our finals are starting. But you're night about Mr. Adams. He is one of the better teachers here. The dullest has to be Treize."

Smirking, Heero nodded. "Good old Treize Khushrenada." Grinning, Duo lifted up his hands so they were resting behind his head. "The worst part is that he isn't even that old. He's like, in his late twenties or something. I hope I'll look that good when I'm retching that age."

Shaking his head, Heero bent over to give Duo a small peck. "No, you won't. You'll look better." Smiling seductively, Duo moved his hands from behind his head and brought one of them up to caress Heero's cheek. "Oh, will I now?"

Giving Duo an equal seductive smile back, Heero leaned closer so that their breath were mingling. "Hai, I'm sure you will," he murmured and titled his head to one side. They were just about to bring their lips together in a sweet kiss, but faith had other plans.

"Hey, guys." Trowa appeared from around the corner and waived. Moving away from each other, the two teens waived back and muttered a greeting back at him.

"Was going on?" Trowa looked at them with his one visible eye. Smirking, Duo walked up and patted Trowa's back. "Nothing, Tro-bear. Why?"

Shrugging, Trowa put his bag down and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, one thing is that you didn't greet me like you normally do, Duo. And you were giving me quite the glare five seconds ago."

Sticking his tongue out, Duo grinned. "Let's just pretend I've had a bad nights sleep, key?" Trowa shook his head and muttered something that sounded like "What did I miss this time" while Heero turned around so he could kill his snickering.

A few moments later, Mr. Adams showed up. When the class was seated, he told them to pick up their books and flip to page 135. Gently tossing a glance over at his young Japanese student, he smiled as he saw a new glow around the teen. The teen was smiling. The normally stoic student was actually smiling. Gently chuckling, Mr. Adams looked up the said page as well. He couldn't remember ever seeing Heero Yuy smile during his lesions. The young man was very focused on his work, but now he seemed more relaxed somehow. Like a big burden was lifted from his shoulders. Smiling, he instructed the class to read a novel by Edgar Allan Poe while he prepared the final touches for a project they would start during the lesson.

Heero smiled as he watched Duo read the novel and quickly scanned over the pages. He'd read the novel before. After all, 'The Raven' was a pretty famous piece of literary work and Heero knew it more or less by heart. Duo on the other hand seemed to have a slightly difficult time to figure out the written novel's texture and meaning. Quickly looking towards his sweetheart, Duo mounted a 'What the hell?' and gestured towards the novel. Heero chuckled and gave Duo a faint smile. He would have loved to help him understand the meaning, but it was to difficult to explain by mounting the words. Duo understood that, but he still pretended to hang himself before returning to the novel.

A few minutes later Mr. Adams raised his hands and clapped to get the students attention. "Alright, class," he grinned and picked up a list. "We've been studying a few novelist for the last month now and it's time we have a little project." The class groaned and Mr. Adams clapped his hands again. "Now, now, this will be fun."

Duo rolled his yes and whispered "I'm sure it will," to Heero, who just rolled his eyes back at him and whispered "baka." Mr. Adams cleared his throat and continued. "Now, I'll pass down this list with different authors and I want you to write your name down next to the author you want to study. No more than three names next to each author." The class nodded and Mr. Adams passed the list to a jock named Andy.

Duo stretched his arms and yawned while Heero looked through the novels they've been studying. "Who're you gonna pick?"

"Hm?" Heero looked up and looked at Duo. "Who're you gonna pick? Who do you wanna write about?" Heero shrugged. "Don't know. It won't be any difficult to write about any of the authors we've been studying so I'm just going to write my name were it's available."

"Can you list yourself up on Edgar Allan Poe if he's available?" Heero looked at him. "Naze?" Shaking his head, he remembered that Duo didn't understand much Japanese. "I mean why?"

Duo shrugged. "I'm gonna list myself on him. I actually sounded more interesting than Hemmingway and Dickens."

"Because he writes about dark stuff?"

Duo shrugged again. "It's hard to explain, but I kinda liked his work. I didn't understand everything, but it sounded interesting enough. Besides, I like dark novels." Heero snorted and closed his book. "It wouldn't kill you to take a challenge every once in a while. Just because something sounds boring, doesn't mean that it is."

Duo chuckles. "And this comes from Mr. Straight and Narrow himself?" Heero smirked and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Well, if I remember correctly I have tried out some new stuff. Like dressing up on Halloween and getting drunk with you and the rest of the guys. Oh, not to mention that I'm going on date with you today and you happen to be a boy."

Duo grinned and lowered his voice as well. "And that only proves that you're not as vanilla as everybody thinks. But you are pretty straight and narrow."

Leaning a bit closer, Heero smirked. "Well, I just like to see where I'm going, even if I am walking around in the dark right now." Smiling, Duo gave Heero a quick peck on the cheek and leaned back. "Well, let me be your light then. I'm fumbling around myself, but I know where I'm going. So just hold on to me, key?"

Heero nodded and grabbed a list as it was passed to him. He quickly did as Duo requested and after writing his name next to Edgar Allan Poe's, he passed the list over to Duo. Duo quickly wrote his own name under Heero's and passed the list on. Grinning, Duo winked. "I'm counting on your brain now, Hee-chan." Heero snorted. "And I'm counting on that you have your own library card. Just because you're on the same group as me and we happen to be best friends, doesn't mean I'm letting you slack off and let me do all the work."

Duo raised and eyebrow as he watched his friends face. Sticking out his lip in a perfect put, he turned his head and pretended to be hurt. "Hey, I'm no slack–off! I just have a relaxed relationship with my work."

Heero snorted and opened the book so he could scan over 'The Raven' again. "Indeed. If you relax anymore now, you'll be going in the opposite direction." Duo grinned and opened his own book. "Hey, I've gotten this far. Haven't failed one subject yet."

Turning, Heero gave Duo a small smile and winked. "I know. You're not stupid, just... Relaxed when it comes to your work." Then he laughed as Duo blushed and spluttered "Did you just wink?!"

The rest of the day went somewhat harmless. Duo had to leave Heero on his own during lunch, since he had an appointment with Zechs, the P.E. teacher and Relena, seizing the opportunity, decided to threw herself on Heero while standing in the lunch line, something that sent the both of them crashing into the floor and dragging down a half a dozen puddings with them. Heero had gotten away with a minor pudding attack on his shoes, but Relena wasn't that lucky. When she flung herself upon the startled teen, she managed to get on top of him as the made impact with the floor. Heero's back took the impact from the floor while Relena took the pudding attack. Heero had managed to detangle himself from the hysterical girl and gotten the hell out of the cafeteria, not even bothering to help the girl up and took cower in the library for the rest of the break[1].

Duo did of course hear about the incident later by Heero himself, and was laughing of the thought of Relena cowered in pudding and complained that he missed the show. Heero only replied that if Duo had been there, the incident may not have happened. If Relena had seen him by Heero's side, she would have stopped, thrown a small racket and walked away. But Heero still admitted that the situation was funny, even though he had been a part of the mess.

The rest of the school hours ticked somewhat slowly towards the hour of freedom, especially since Heero and Duo had no more classes together. But when the day was finally over Heero couldn't wait to see Duo. Quickly packing his things together, he bid Treize a quick 'bye' as was off. And outside the school, waiting for him, stood the object of his thoughts from when they had departed. And beside him stood Quatre.

"Hey guys. Thanks for waiting." Nodding towards the blonde, he gave Duo a little smile before they started walking. "No problem, Heero. Trowa had to hurry home. He's suppose to pick up his sister after school. She's visiting for the week-end."

"So no band rehearsal this week-end either?" Duo looked at the blond who shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Trowa will be gone all week-end and Hilde couldn't make it. Apparently she gets visitors this week-end."

"Shit. Then can we gather up later this week or is Tro-bear to busy?" Quatre sighed. "I don't know. I didn't really get a chance to talk to him after school. He just kissed me and told me he was sorry. But I'll talk to him later tonight."

Duo grinned and gave Quatre the thumbs up. "No worries, Quat. We'll make it up next week. Besides, we don't really have any songs to practice on." Quatre looked at him. "You mean you still haven't found that song. What was it called. 'I'm still here' or something?"

Duo shook his head. "Nope. Haven't really had the time to research the net." Heero looked up and shrugged. "I can find it."

"Hm?"

"I can find it. I can probably look it up so you have it next week." Duo grinned. "You'll do that?" Heero smirked. "Of course. It's no big deal. After all, I do attend the net a little more often that you."

Duo barked and hugged the Japanese teen. "That's great. Thanks a bunch, Hee-chan. And next week, we'll work more on your guitar skills." Heero raised an eyebrow and pushed the ecstatic teen away from him. "Well, don't expect anything great. I hardly know how to play a guitar. I barley remember anything from the music lessons I had in Junior high."

Duo grinned and slapped his back. "But you got the basics. Trust me, when we warm up what you already know, you'll be jamming that guitar in no time."

Heero sighed and gently covered Duo's hand with his own, just to feel the mere skin to skin contact. "I'm sure I will, Duo. But I won't be up on your level. Not by a long shot."

Duo laughed and gently moved his finger in a light stroke. "And what level are you in?" Heero shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Zero, nothing, zip, whatever you call it. That's my level." Raising an eyebrow, Duo watches as Heero smirked and grinned himself. "I think you're getting a sense of humor, Hee-chan."

"I've always had a sense of humor, Duo. You've just never appreciated it." That send Quatre into a laughing fit and the three teens had to stop so the blonde could pull himself together.

It took a while for Quatre to calm down and by the time he stopped laughing, Heero had headed home, but not before sneaking himself a chaste kiss from Duo and a promise to call so they could discuss their date in peace. Jogging the few feet's back to his house, he hummed as he opened the door and tossed his bag by the stairs. Strolling into the kitchen for a quick meal, he quickly made himself a sandwich and a glass with juice. Using his mouth to hold on to the sandwich, Heero returned to his bag and picked it up before walking up the stairs and into his room.

Throwing a quick glance at the watch, he calculated the amount of time he would need on his homework and noted himself when the best time would be to call Duo. Quickly starting his task to get most of the work out of the way, he could feel small butterflies in his stomach. Raising an eyebrow over the unusual reaction, Heero continued to work in silence, he only stopped for a few seconds when he heard his parents enter.

Two hours passed before Heero called it quits and picked up his cell. Quickly dialing Duo's number, he pressed the cell to his ear and listened to the beeps. It didn't take long before Duo's merry voice was heard in the other end.

"You've just reached Johnny's pizzeria, may I take your order?"

Heero laughed and played along. "Yes, I would like to order a 5' 6 inches long male with a 3 feet long braid and a big mouth."

"Well, what do you know, we have one done for you right now. Would you like your meal delivered or do you pick it up yourself?"

Biting his lower lip to stop his laughter, he managed to silent it enough to answer. "I would like it delivered."

"Great, you meal will be delivered at six. Would you like anything beside it? Fries, leather or a surprise?"

"I'll take the surprise, thank you."

"Great, your meal is ordered and is on it's way. Make yourself ready and skip dinner. Oh, and please wear something you can move in or the meal cannot be enjoyed to it's fullest."

Laughing Heero managed to stutter out a "Duo, what are you-?" before he was stopped by Duo's teasing voice. "Ah, ah, now that's a secret. And a date. I'll see ya at six." And with that, Duo blew down a kiss and hung up. Heero stared at his phone and smiled. 'Well, that was easy enough,' he thought and threw a glance at the watch. He had half an' hour before Duo came and he still had to notify his parents. Hurrying out of the room, he ran down the stairs and into the kitchen where his mother was preparing dinner.

"Mum," he said quietly and looked at her. "Yes, Heero?"

"I'm meeting up with a couple of friends at six so don't bother to set the table for me. We're probably eating out or something."

Mrs. Yuy nodded and gave Heero a smile. "That's okay with me, but do notify your father as well. You know where he is." Nodding, Heero stepped out of the kitchen and walked to his father's office. Gently knocking, he waited of the usual 'enter' before he peeped his head in. Mr. Yuy was sitting by his desk, but turned as his son stuck his head in. "Yes, Heero?"

"I've agreed to meet up with my friends at six so I won't be having dinner today. Duo's picking me up." Giving his father a small glare, he watched as Mr. Yuy scratched his head. "Well, I suppose it's okay, but what will you be doing and where?"

Quickly figuring up a lie, Heero answered in a calm tone. "We're going to Quatre to hear each other in a test we're having next week. We'll be eating there." Knowing that his father was very strict when it came to Heero's studies, he knew that THAT excuse would let him off the hook.

"Well, I suppose that's okay, But be home by ten." Nodding, Heero closed the door and hurried up to get changed. Since he had no idea what his braided friend was up too, he took Duo's advice and dressed in a loose pair of jeans and a green tank top. Fastening his jeans with a brown belt, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He had no idea where his messy hair came from. Both his parents had flat hair. He was just about the only one in the family with hair like his, except from an aunt on his mother's side.

When he was done changing his clothes, Heero walked over to his computer and logged onto the internet. Quickly logging himself onto a music page, he started to download the song Duo was talking about and the notes for it. Seeing that it would be done by the time he was home, he left the computer and grabbed his jacket and wallet before heading downstairs. Just as he walked down the last step did the doorbell ring and he headed for the hall. Opening the door, he was greeted by a smiling Duo dressed in a pair of worn out blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He was of course wearing his leather jacked and he was spinning a basketball on his finger. And the only thing Heero could say was, "Blue jeans?"

Sticking out his lower lip in a perfect pouting position, Duo stuffed the ball into Heero's hands and pretended to be hurt. "Hey, that hurts. I do wear other colors, yanno!"

"Well, I've never seen them," Heero replied and bent over to pull on his shoes. Placing the ball by his feet, he watched as Duo's hands appeared and removed the ball from his sight. When he bent back up, the pout was exchanged for a smile. Heero shook his head and yelled that he was leaving now before he shut the door and followed Duo down towards the street.

Duo stopped just outside the garden gate and spun the ball at the tip of his finger. "Well, your meal has arrived and here's your surprise." Throwing the bal back to Heero, he grinned and gently touched Heero's upper arm. "I was thinking we could play a little b-ball before heading to the park and get ourselves a hotdog or something." Scratching the base of his neck, he gave Heero a sheepishly smile , but he never removed the hand from Heero's arm. "I was thinking we could go to a movie or something, but Tro-bears birthday party has left me a little short the rest of the month, so I figured out a nice one-on-one match and a stroll in the park could be just as nice. But if you wanna do anything else, then-"Heero quickly shut up the babbling teen with a finger and gave him a smile. "It's quite alright, Duo. I'd much rather spend time playing a game and actually see you instead of sitting in a dark room with hundred off strangers. We can do that later. And dates are just like any other appointment, really. The only difference is that on the end of a date you end up kissing. Not that I'm complaining about that."

Grinning, Duo grabbed Heero's hand and dragged Heero towards the basketball court. "Well, why are we standing here? The court's available today. Oh, and instead of loser's buying a soda to the winner, lets make it loser gives winner a big kiss and the winner gets to grope the looser the rest of the evening."

"You almost had me there, Hee-chan, you almost had me. But I'm afraid I'm still the unbeaten champion on the basketball court." Duo grinned and bounced the ball on the ground before catching it and throwing it to Heero. Heero just smirked at captured the ball and tossed it back. After using the back his hand to dry away the sweat on his forehead, he sat down and stretched his back. "I went easy on you."

"Did you now? I'm not so sure about that." Duo grinned and sat down next to Heero. Heero smirked and grabbed the ball from the long haired teen. "Yes, I did. I was leading halfway through our game, but when I saw that desperate look on your face I decided that you could have this victory."

Duo smirked and pushed Heero over. "You were only leading for about 5 seconds, dork." Heero laughed and pulled himself back and looked at his friend. Smiling, he brushed away a lock of hair from Duo's face and bent over to give him a gentle kiss on the lips. "I do believe I owed you that. After all, I lost," he murmured gently and pulled back. Duo just smiled back and got onto his feet. Stretching out his hand in a silent offering, he watched as Heero grabbed it and dragged himself up. Feeling Heero's hand move away as soon he was on his feet, Duo grabbed it and entwined their fingers together. "You hungry, Heero?"

Heero smiled and gently squeezed Duo's hand in a silent reply that he very much liked the gesture. "Well, now that you mention it, I am hungry."

"Want a hotdog, or do you wanna go somewhere and eat?"

Remembering that Duo was a little short this month, Heero was quick to suggest something else. "Lets just find a fast food place. My treat."

Duo raised an eyebrow and used his available hand to scratch the back of his neck. "A fast food place? Damn, I can't believe you actually wanna go there. You hate greasy food." Heero smiled and dragged Duo with him out from the school area and onto the street. "It's okay, Duo, I don't mind. Look at it as some kind of reward because you whipped my ass again."

Duo grinned. "Well, no need to go far. Let's just hit that kebab restaurant by the park and we'll have it to go." Heero nodded and slowed his pace down enough for Duo to step up by his site. "Sounds like a plan, Duo."

They walked hand in hand to the restaurant and ordered a kebab each. Heero wasn't used to eat to much greasy food, and he couldn't remember the last time he had a kebab. He knew he'd had one at some stage at his life, but when... Duo was quick to offer him some help and a few napkins as well as a fork, and soon he got the hang of it without spilling anything. At least not on himself.

The brought they meal to the park and sat down at a bench to enjoy they're somewhat greasy meal. Duo was quick to finish his food without spilling a single thing. He was using a napkin to dry away some sauce from his chin, while Heero was barley half finished with his own meal. After realizing that he would never be able to finish the meal alone, he told Duo to grab his fork and dig in.

They sat like that and enjoyed Heero's meal and after a little fork fight over the last piece of meat, they ended up sharing it. Duo had actually won the piece, but he had placed it between his teeth and captured Heero's mouth in a deep kiss. Using his teeth to cut over a piece, he used his tongue to push it over to Hero's mouth, something that only increased the depth and meaning of their kiss.

After they broke the kiss in search for air, Duo had given Heero a peck on the nose before he ran of to find a toilet. Heero watched as the braid disappeared back to the restaurant and sat back onto the bench. Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, he closed his eyes and smiled. He felt... Content. He'd had fun today and it was even better since it was a date. Duo was just... Wonderful. So understanding and willing to help him overcome his insecurity. He knew that Duo was insecure too, but together they would overcome it. That was a part of being in a relationship. He's scratch Duo's back and Duo would scratch his.

"Hey, earth to Heero." Heero opened his eyes and stared into Duo's Cobalt blue ones. Heero had noticed long time ago that so many emotions floated around in those depths. Duo's eyes had the ability to capture everybody, and every time Heero was ensnared by those dark pools he felt it as he was drowning. But instead of being scared, he was thankful every time it happened. Duo's eyes gave away a certain strength that Heero felt he could use to overcome every obstacle in the way.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Hai, I'm fine. Just dozing off in the breeze." Heero sat up properly on the bench and watched as Duo sat down next to him.

"That's cool." Duo rolled his head a few times to the side to get out the knots in his neck. The he offered one of the two bottles he had in his hand to Heero. "Got you a bottle of water. I know you don't drink soda so." Smirking, he lifted his own bottle as Heero accepted the other and took a big swig of it. "But I got myself a good ol' coca cola. I think I deserve it." Heero laughed and unscrewed the cork on his own bottle and took a drink.

They sat like that for a while, in complete silence before Duo cleared his throat and looked at his friend. "Hey, Heero... I... I think it when very well... Our date, that is." Heero looked up and watched the slightly blushing teen. Duo cleared his throat again and used his hand to scratch the base of his neck. He always did that when he had something on is heart.

"I don't mean to sound like an complete idiot, but I just want to know what you think... About stuff." Heero smiled and turned so he could face his boyfriend. Boyfriend. He liked that word. "I think it went very well and I wouldn't mind at all if we repeated it."

Duo smiled and twisted so he could be face to face with Heero. "That's great, Heero. That's great. And... Well, I really want this to work, yanno 'cause I... I really like you. But I want to make sure that you're certain about stuff too. I don't want you to rush into thing just because... Just because I've told you how I feel. I know you beat me too it, I know you spilled your heart first, but I just want you to be sure."

"Duo." Heero gave him a gentle smile and used his hand to stroke over Duo's cheek. "You're rambling, Maxwell. You're coming with important thought, yes, but you're rambling." Duo tilted his head into Heero's hand and sighed. "I know I am, buddy. But I just want to make sure... I want us to work."

Heero bent over and smiled. "And it will, Duo. I know I'm no expert on this and I know I've been insecure about a lot when it comes to everything, but this is the first thing I've ever felt totally secure and certain about. I know I like you a lot and I also want us to work."

Duo smiled and relaxed into Heero's hand. Heero gently dropped it from Duo's cheek and let it fall onto Duo's hand instead. Using his thumb to stroke over Duo's hand, he smiled again and chuckled.

"What?"

Heero just smiled and stared deep into Duo's slightly confused eyes. "Nothing. I just like the thought of an 'us'. It's very appealing to me." Duo chuckled as well and turned his hand so that their palms were touching. "So I'll get the privilege to call you my boyfriend now, Hee-chan? Because I would really hate it if I had to kill somebody because they touched you."

Heero laughed and nodded. "Yes, you can call me your boyfriend as long as I can do the same. The feeling is mutual you know, when it comes to the thought that someone else can touch you."

Duo grinned and squeezed their palms together. "So do I get the privilege to kiss you?"

"Anytime."

""How about now?"

Heero nodded and the two teens bent over to their breath were meddling before they captured each other's lips in a breathtaking kiss. Heero gently tilted his head to one side so he could deepen the kiss, and sighed when he felt Duo's searching tongue ghost over his lips. Opening his mouth in a silent invitation, he curled his free hand around Duo's neck so he could pull the other teen closer. He could feel Duo's hand stroke his cheek and he squeezed the hand he was still clinging to. After a minute the need for air became to big and they parted. Duo whistled and licked his lips. "Wow, that was some kiss. You sure you never been in a relationship before."

Heero smiled and cupped Duo's cheek. "Call me a natural. Besides, never being in a relationship doesn't necessarily mean that you've never kissed anyone."

Duo raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I never said that." Heero just sighed and bent over enough so that their foreheads were touching. "No, you didn't." Duo just grinned and kissed Heero again.

_Author's Notes: [1] Based on a true story. It happened on my school, just last year. I'm telling you, it was hysterical. You should have been there. _

_What do you think? I still think it sounds a little cheesy and it was a little short, but I've just walked three weeks without writing a single word. That gets you a little out of the rhythm. Oh, and a little warning. I'm attending a new school soon and I'm on my way to move out of the hole I'm stuck in. So if my chapters are a little late, then don't worry. I'm not quitting this little gem, not after all the positive feedback I've received (which I'm once again thanking everybody for), but I'll do my best on writing and updating on a steady base. JUST DON'T CALL IT QUITS ON ME, PLEASE!! But anyway, I still want feedback. Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. points at the review button Thankee!_


	20. Surprise, Surprise

**New Hope Home**

Hiyo, new chappie. Wow, I've reached chapter 20. Man, I never believed I would actually reach this far and I owe it all to you guys. Thanks for all the feedback and thank you for not giving me up. I owe you guy's big time (walks around and shakes everybody's hands while sobbing and stuttering 'Thank you'). Now, the story's not over yet. Not by a long shot, but I'll take it one chapter at a time. But I think there's still a bunch of chapters to come. But I'll present chapter 20 for now. It's short, but I'm kinda busy. I'm very sorry, but I'll try to give you a longer one very soon. Well, as soon as I find the time for it that is... Enjoy.

"Surprise, Surprise:"

"So, what you're saying is that Trowa can't make it the rest of the week?"

Quatre nodded and finished his scone. "Yes. It's the first time in months that he's actually seeing her, so I can't blame him for wanting to spend some time with her. After all, I do the same when one of my sister visits."

Duo looked at him while he chewed on his sandwich. "Well, I guess you're right. I probably would have done the same if I were him."

Wufei just snorted and threw his empty paper cup in the direction of the trashcan. "What, does he have to spent time with her 24-7? We barley greeted him this morning, we barley got a word with him in the hall before he takes off home. I think he's being selfish."

Heero shrugged and finished his own coffee. "I think you're being unfair, Wufei. His sister is traveling all over the country with the circus and it goes months before they see each other. I would have done the same if some of my family came to visit."

Giving his Japanese friend a glare, Wufei snorted. "But I'm sure you wouldn't cut out your friends completely."

"Come on, Wufei, you did the same with us when you were dating Meilan. We barely saw you. Besides, Trowa's sister leaves this week-end and we've gone longer without a band rehearsal before." Duo looked at his Chinese friend with a little glare of his own and finished his meal. Wufei just muttered "injustice" before he grabbed his now empty tray and headed for the trashcans. Heero and the rest followed silently after him. Duo carefully poked Quatre's arm with the side of his elbow and asked. "Where's Trowa anyway? I haven't seen him since our music lessons."

"He's in the library studying. He promised to go shopping with Catherine today and that won't leave him any time to study tonight."

Duo sniggered and gave Quatre a friendly grin. "Ah, women and shopping centers. Why can't they ever learn to just walk in there, pick out what they need and then leave? It's more efficient that way."

Heero snorted and emptied his tray into the trashcan. "Because women enjoy the art of looking through piles of clothes and make-up. It's a thing I'll never understand so I won't give it anymore thought."

Duo grinned and dumped his own trash into another trashcan. "And that is why I'm gay. I gave up understanding women a long time ago, but figured that men was something I can understand, being one myself."

"Well, I wouldn't call you a man, Maxwell. You're more like a child trapped in a 18 year old body." Ignoring his sarcastic friend, Duo grabbed his bag and followed the others. Gently brushing against Heero's hand, he smiled and winked. Heero just smiled back, ignoring the ranting about women and their interest in shopping from the still slightly annoyed Chinese.

Quatre stopped and looked at the others. "I know that it's no point in rehearsal anything today, but Trowa is stopping by later tonight. Wanna come then? I'm sure we can just relax and stuff."

"What-?!" Wufei glared at the blonde and crossed his arms. "I thought you said he couldn't make it at all!"

Quatre looked down and blushed. "I guess I said something like-"

Duo slapped his hand over Quatre's mouth and glared back at Wufei. "He said Trowa was busy after school. The mall closes at 9 and that gives us time to hook up. I'm sure that's why he's studying in the library now, right?"

Quatre nodded. "Yes. So he could come visit me. I guess he feels a little guilty."

"Well, count me in, Quat. I'll be there. Always a pleasure robbing your fridge." Duo winked and slapped Quatre on the back.

Quatre giggled. "Well, there's always plenty of food there so no worries."

Duo nodded and waltzed his way back to Heero's side. "You're coming too right?" Leaning in, he gently whispered into Heero's ear. "It would be an excellent time to come out. No need to hide it for ages like Trowa and Quatre did, right?"

Heero nodded and smirked. "Getting impatient, ne?"

Duo snickered and gently touched Heero's hand. "You better believe it, baby."

Raising his eyebrow, Heero looked at Duo. "Baby?"

Coughing, Duo blushed. "Sorry. Just took the first name that came to my mind."

Heero shook his head and smiled. "It's okay, but I don't feel like something you would call 'baby'. I'm not that kind of material."

Duo smirked and gave Heero a discreet peck on the cheek. "Heh, we're both stubborn, independent and amazingly sexy. We're definitely not 'baby' material."

"Who're you calling stubborn?"

Grinning, Duo gently brushed over Heero's butt and laughed. "Hee-chan, you and I will be just fine."

"So? How do ya wanna do it? Wanna make out the same second we get there or just keep it slow?" Duo was lying on Heero's bed, on his stomach and with his feet in the air. On the floor was the text they were supposed to study, but none of them was paying much attention to it.

"Honestly, Duo? I don't care. I just wanna show them that we are together now." Running a hand through his hair, Heero went back to his computer and started typing on their project. On the bed, he could hear Duo's rich laughter. "And you're calling me impatient? You're just as eager as I am to come out."

Smirking, Heero turned on the chair and bent over so he was almost face to face with Duo. "Well, I blame it on you. If it wasn't for you, I never would have known. And I've never been particularly fond of wasting time." Giving Duo a light kiss on his nose, he grinned. "And the more we hide, the more time we're wasting. I wanna enjoy every moment I have with you, not hiding in the shadows."

Grinning, Duo grabbed Heero's arm and sat up so Heero was dragged onto his feet. With cat-like reflexes, he managed to pull Heero onto the bed before he let himself fall back onto the bed with Heero on top. Pulling Heero's face closer, Duo removed his hand from Heero's arm and wrapped them around his neck instead. "Yanno," he murmured and used his fingers to stroke at the base off Heero's neck. "My motto is 'I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie'. If I don't hide, I'm lying."

Heero could feel his breath hitching a bit, but he still managed to give Duo a smirk. "Are you saying you wanna hide?"

Grinning, Duo pulled Heero's face so close that they were practically kissing each other. "I think... This is an exception of that motto. After all, my motto number two is 'Dessert after every meal', but I don't quite follow that either. Does that make me a liar?"

"No..." Heero gently brushed his lips over Duo's own lips and he could feel the other's teen's breath mingle with his own. The excitement of being so close too another human being was just to exiting, but he managed to keep himself restrained. He wasn't ready for that step yet, and he doubted that Duo was either. "No, that doesn't make you a liar..."

"Good," Duo managed to breathe out before he finally pressed his lips to Heero's. Heero sighed from the simple lip to lip contact. It was sweet, gentle, but still so filled with passion and caring. Feeling Duo's hands over his back, he gently moved one of his own hands over Duo's cheek in a gentle caress. Never had that simple motion felt so good. The feeling off Duo's skin under his fingertips was just amazing and he couldn't wait until the day he could explore some of the unknown territory that was currently under him.

Duo broke the kiss with a little gasp for air, then he smiled and pushed Heero's head a little away. "Can ya move, Hee-chan? You're gettin' heavy."

Heero laughed, but moved away. "Are you calling me fat?"

"Nope, but muscles weigh much more than fat, yanno." Gently squeezing Heero's arm, Duo grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. "And you, my boy, are all muscles."

Heero just smirked and got onto his feet. "Surely I hope you didn't fall for me because of my body. I might have to hurt you if you did."

Duo pretended to be shocked and put up a hurt face. "What are you taking me for? I don't go after looks."

Heero just shook his head and turned so he could sit down on his chair again. Duo's expression quickly shifted from hurt to a devilis grin, and as quickly as lightning he was up from the bed, from behind. He grabbed Heero's waist and pulled him in for a hug. Heero yelped when he felt Duo's hands around his hips, but quickly relaxed when Duo nuzzled his nose in Heero's neck. "The fact that you look as good as you do is just a bonus. I fell for your charm and personality."

Heero felt himself blush, but he still turned his head so he could see Duo's face. "Duo. Same here."

Duo smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Heero's lips before letting him go. Smirking, he slumped back onto the bed and picked up the book he had been studying. "Whelp, better continue this damn project or we'll never get it done. So get that fine ass back onto the chair and type."

Shaking his head, Heero sat back down and started to type.

After two hours Heero glanced at his watch and declared that they had to go. Saving their work on the computer, he left it on and followed Duo down to the hall. "Aren't ya gonna tell your parents that we're leaving?"Duo looked at him while slipping on his shoes.

"No," Heero replied as he checked his pockets for his keys, wallet and phone. "They're working evening and nightshift today, so I'm home alone."

Duo grinned and smacked Heero's ass as he got up. "And ya didn't tell me that before now? That's cruel."

Heero smirked and opened the door. "Well, I'm one cruel, cold person and right now I command you out of the house so we can get to Quatre's, and come out of the closet."

Duo snickered and grabbed Heero's hand. "Don't know about you, bubby, but I've been out of the closet for a long time already."

Heero snickered and locked his door while keeping a firm grip on Duo's hand. "Well, I came out of the closet the second I learned I was in it."

Laughing, Duo dragged him down towards the street. "True, and I'm very proud of you."

"Well, I aim to please."

Smirking, Duo pulled Heero closer so that they were walking side by side. "I thought that was my job."

"No, you live to please."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

Heero shook his head and squeezed Duo's hand. "I guess it is. But when you live, you please everybody no matter what you do. I... I aim for certain goals to please."

Duo looked at Heero. "Like you do with your father?"

Heero bit his lip, then nodded. "I guess. I've never had much freedom with him. Everything he does, he means well, but... I guess that along the line I forgot to live. I just wanted to please him."

Duo nodded. "I understand. And with all due respect to your father, I think it's time you break free from him. It's time you live on your own. Ya can't go through life making everybody but yourself happy. That will destroy you in the end. Trust me, I know. I've been there."

Heero looked at him. "But you still make everybody happy."

"That's because I'm happy. I'm doing things for others because I wanna do it, but I also tend to myself. Being a goodie-goodie all the time makes it seem like you're easy to take advantage off." Heero glared at him, and Duo stopped, holding his hand in a firm grip. "Listen Heero, I didn't mean it like that. I know you're not that type to just sit back and take crap from anybody, but you must admit that your dad is controlling pretty much all of your life."

Heero looked away, biting his lip. He could still feel the grip Duo had around his hand. "I'm sorry, Heero. But it is true. I don't mean to hurt you, but..."

Turning, Heero smiled. "It's okay. I know it's true. That's why it stings so much to hear it. But you're right. I let my father control a great part of my life, but... He means well."

Duo nodded, but Heero could see the slight annoyance in Duo's eyes. But it was not meant for him. It was meant for his father. But as quick as it had appeared, it had vanished, leaving only the merry glimmer in Duo's eyes. Duo's serious face disappeared and was replaced by a smile. "Well, no need to deal with everything at once,. Let's get this thing over with first, kay?"

"Hai!" Heero nodded and was once again dragged to Duo's side and they started walking.

"Man, I can't wait to see their faces. Maybe we'll even give Wuffer's a nosebleed."

"Won't that make him pass out? He can't stand blood."

Duo grinned. "That will make it even more fun. Serves him right for siccing Nataku on me the last time I was at his place."

"Nataku?"

Duo looked at him. "Oh, I guess he hasn't mentioned that. Nataku is Wufei's dog. A Pekingese. But he thinks that it's girly to have such a small dog, so he doesn't mention to anyone that he actually has one. But that canine is crazy, she keeps biting after my legs every time I'm there."

Heero snickered from the image of Wufei with a Pekingese in his arms. The image was... Hysterical. "I've got to see that dog."

Duo grinned. "You're sadistic, yanno that. Well, now that you know about his dog, maybe he'll let us come to his house again."

"Won't he kill you for telling me that he has one? He almost bit your head off when you told me about his ex-girlfriend."

Duo shrugged and looked at Heero. "I don't know. He'll probably get pissed, yes, but he'll cool down. He always does."

Heero nodded and looked down. Feeling a gentle squeeze from Duo's hand, he looked back up and stared straight into Duo's smiling face. "Hey, no worries. I know Wuffers and I have our battles, but we always make up."

Heero snorted and smiled. "Yeah, I know, but I think your fighting is just silly. You basically fight over nothing."

Duo laughed and gave Heero a quick peck on the cheek. "I know, I know, but it's our way of saying that we care."

"Some way of showing it," Heero mumbled back, but the smile never left his face.

Duo grinned and slipped his arm around Heero's waist. "But I think I prefer our way of showing how much we care," he murmured and pulled Heero close. Heero just sighed and laid his head on Duo's shoulder.

They walked in silence down the street towards Quatre's mansion. A few yards from the gate, Duo let go of Heero's waist, but moved his hands down to Heero's and entwined their fingers. Walking the last few meters up to the door, Duo squeezed the hand he was holding and smiled. "You ready, Hee-chan?"

Heero shook his head. "Please, Duo, make it sound like a suicide mission. We're just telling them that we are a couple, it's not like one of us has knocked the other one up or something. Besides, they know that we care for each other. I'm sure they won't even be surprised. Well, Wufei might be."

Duo laughed. "I guess you're right. But if one of us got knocked up, I'm sure they really want to talk to us then."

"I can imagine," Heero smirked and reached over to ring the doorbell. They waited patiently for Rashid to open the door and they never broke the tight hold they had on each other's hands. It didn't take long before they were greeted by the big man and showed inside. When he saw the grasp they had on each others hands, he smiled and nodded. Heero and Duo gave a smile of their own after slipping off their shoes and walked up the stairs to Quatre's room.

Just outside the room, Heero came to a stop. Duo turned and looked at him. "What?"

Heero smirked and gave Duo a quick peck on the cheek. "I just got an idea. Don't say or do anything that will show them that we are a couple. I wanna have some fun when we're telling them."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Okay... I don't mind as long as it doesn't hurt."

Heero grinned and let go of Duo's hand. "I think you'll find it quite enjoyable."

Duo just looked at him as Heero knocked on Quatre's door and walked in. Quickly following him, he greeted the silent Chinese that was currently placed on Quatre's desk and said owner of the room, who was placed on his bed. Quatre smiled and waved. "Hello guys. You're early."

Heero looked around. "Isn't Trowa here yet?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, he's on his way now. He's just driven Catherine home and is on his way."

Duo grinned and sat down next to the blonde. "So Trowa finally got permission from his dad to take the car? He hasn't been allowed near it because he crashed it last year."

Quatre giggles and nodded. "Yes. He's finally paid back for the damage and he's taken that drivers test all over again."

Duo laughed. "Well, he was horrible when it came to baking up."

Wufei snorted. "He was horrible when it came to everything. He had no sense of speed either."

Duo grinned. "That was because he always forgot the position of the clutch and the gas pedal."

"Rub it in, will you? At least I have my license." Trowa silently closed the door and looked at Duo.

Duo laughed and rubbed his neck. "He he he, hiya Trowa. Didn't see you there..."

Trowa just smirked and walked over to kiss Quatre instead. Quatre closed his eyes and wrapped his hands around Trowa's neck to deepen the kiss. Wufei rolled his eyes and looked away, while Duo and Heero gave each other loving glances.

"Yo, Quat? Can ya rip your lips away from your boyfriend long enough to contact Abdul or someone? I'm thirsty."

Quatre broke free from Trowa's loving kisses and blushed. "Of course. Forgive me, Duo, I'll contact him right away."

Duo grinned and waved his hand. "No need to feel sorry, Q."

Quatre smiled and picked up his pager. Quickly typing a message, he stuffed it back into his pocked and smiled sheepishly. "It's much quicker than searching the house, looking for someone."

Wufei raised an eyebrow and smirked. "How about getting what you want yourself?"

Quatre opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again. "I guess I could..."

Duo glared towards Wufei. "Oh, shut up, Wuman. Leave him alone."

Quatre smiled and nodded towards Duo, who winked and nodded back. Trowa just glared at the Chinese with his one visible eye before he placed himself next to his blonde boyfriend. Five minutes later someone knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Abdul peeked is head in and smiled. "Did you want something, Master Quatre?"

Quatre nodded. "Yes, Abdul. We would really like some refreshments, if it isn't too much trouble."

Abdul nodded. "Not at all, Master Quatre. What will it be everybody?"

"Tea for me, please. Green," Quatre replied.

"I'll have some tea too. Darjeeling, please," Wufei muttered while ignoring the sly grin from a certain braided guy.

"I'll have a coke, bubby," Duo snickered and continued to grin towards the Chinese who just glared back.

Heero shook his head and scratched the back of his head. "Coffee, please. Black."

"Haven't you already had one today? What are you planning to do, stay up all night or something? You'll be like the Duracell bunny on speed," Duo replied and raised an eyebrow.

Heero just smirked. "Well, I have certain plans that I have to stay awake for if I wanna fulfill them."

Trowa just looked at the blush that covered Duo's face and shrugged. "I'll have a coke too." Abdul nodded and the door closed.

Duo stretched his arms and yawned. "It's great, yanno. Getting served up like this once in a while, but it's not a life I could get used to, I think. It's fun that everybody's just lined up, ready to serve you, but it could get very annoying too."

Heero nodded and scratched his cheek. "That's because you're used to a life were you are doing everything yourself. You're getting your own food and drink and preparing your own bath. You're just not used to be served." Smiling towards a blushing Quatre, Heero added. "Not that it is a bad thing either. We just have very different lifestyles."

Wufei snorted. "I guess. But nothing beats the lifestyle that Darlian girl has. Talk about being spoiled."

Duo raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Amen to that, but why are you bringing up her all of a sudden?"

Wufei shrugged. "Well, we were talking about lifestyles so I just brought up hers. You have noticed a few new things on her, haven't you?"

Heero shivered. "I try to look as little as I can on her."

Duo nodded and pulled a face. "Those dresses of her really stings one's eyes. How can she wear it?"

Quatre shrugged and snuggled closer into Trowa's arms. "Well, everybody has their taste. Not her fault that hers is horrible."

Wufei shrugged again and brushed a stray of hair out of his face. "Well, that is true. But I take it that you haven't seen those new earrings she wears, or the bracelet?" Everybody shook their heads. Wufei sighed. "Then you are the lucky ones. She was showing them off during the entire geography lesson and kept telling everybody about the new limo she would get next week. A bright pink one."

Duo's eyes widened. "What? A pink one? Good god, isn't there a law against that?"

Wufei snorted. "Well, you know her father. He has connections with everybody and can easily pull a few strings so that Relena can have it her way. No wonder Zechs moved away from that family and changed his last name. What a nightmare."

Duo nodded. "Good thing that he inherited the brains in the family. Apparently it's hardly been used."

Heero snorted as a result from choked laughter, something that sent everybody into a laughing fit. They didn't stop until they heard knocking on the door.

"Yes?" Quatre managed to choke out and dried away a tear.

Abdul peeked in, carrying a tray. "Your refreshments, gentlemen."

"Thank you, Abdul Just place it on the desk." Abdul nodded and placed the tray next to Wufei before bowing and leaving.

Wufei looked at the tray and picked up his teacup. Gently sipping, he frowned. "He used too much sugar again!"

Duo grinned and grabbed the two cans of coke. Giving one to Trowa, he opened it and took a sip. Heero grabbed his coffee and took a sip. Quatre grabbed his own cup with tea, but left it next to him on a little bedside table. "I'm sorry, Wufei. Would you like a new one?"

Wufei shook his head and took a new sip. "No, don't bother. It's okay as it is."

Duo just grinned and burped. "A little extra sugar never hurt anyone."

Heero looked at him over the rim of his cup and smiled. "Not you maybe, but when you're on a sugar high, you're a danger to the surroundings." Duo just grimaced and took a new sip from his coke.

Heero smirked and took a new sip from his coffee. Too bog of sip. Feeling the familiar burn growing from the tip off his tongue to the base of his mouth, he spat the liquid back and started to chew on his tongue.

Duo looked at him. "Are you okay, Hee-chan," he asked while taking a sip.

Heero nodded, then smirked. "But I think I need to cool my mouth down."

Duo nodded and took a new sip before offering the can to Heero. "You can have the rest."

Heero smirked and put his cup down. "Thank you, but I don't want that coke."

Duo looked at his can. "You don't? I though you liked this one."

"I do," Heero replied and moved closer to Duo. "But I don't want the soda in the can."

Duo raised and eyebrow. "But which soda do you-"He was cut short as Heero suddenly straddled his lap and captured his lips in a demanding kiss. His eyes widened from the surprise, but he soon closed them as Heero's hands found their way around his neck and the kiss deepened. His own hands found their way around Heero's waist and he was half aware of a sudden spluttering sound and a voice yelling "What the heck?!"

When they finally pulled back for much needed air, Heero smirked and kissed Duo's nose. "There. That is better," he murmured before looking at the rest. Wufei had his mouth halfway open and had dropped his cup onto the floor. Quatre also look shocked while Trowa looked unaffected.

Duo smiled sheepishly. "Um... Surprise?"

Quatre looked at them with a stunned look before his face broke out into a huge grin and he pounced the two teens. "Ohmigod! Ohmigod, is it true? Are you two really gotten together?"

Duo laughed and tried to get the hyper teen away from him. "Yes, we are!"

Heero grinned and pulled Quatre away. "Calm down, Quatre."

Quatre grinned. "I refuse to calm down! Oh, I've noticed for such a long time that you liked each other and now you've finally seen it yourself. Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

Duo grinned and hugged the blonde. "Of course you are, but you were happy the first time Wufei got a pimple too!"

Quatre giggled while Wufei blushed. Duo grinned towards the Chinese. "What about you, Wuffers? You don't seem surprised, although you look very shocked."

Wufei blushed again and looked down at the mess. "Well, I'm not surprised. You two send sparks over the lunch table. But I wish you could have found a gentler way to tell us." Looking at the mess, he sighed. The he smiled and walked over to them. "But I am happy for the two of you. I think you will do each other good."

Heero smiled and sat down next to Duo. Duo took Heero's hand and squeezed. "Thanks, Wuffers. Much appreciated."

Heero nodded and grinned while thinking 'Mission accomplished.'

_Author's Notes: Gee, short, short, short... I never have time to write anymore... School sucks. It's always this or that and I never seem to have time for anything anymore. GAH! But I'm not quitting this, not by a million years, but I might update even slower. Nothing is certain yet, but now you know. I've prepared you._

_Now, about the story. What do you think? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember_


	21. Let the Holidays Begin

**New Hope Home**

Hiyo, new chappie. It's a little time jump here, but nothing special occurs anyway so... By the way, I'm very sorry for being so horrible late, but I hardly have anytime at all to write, but I'm doing my best, writing whenever I can. I just hope you people won't give up on me just yet. I promise you that this is a story I will finish! Now, enjoy and review. It's what makes me write.

---

"Let the Holidays Begin:"

A few weeks went by while Heero and Duo tried out their new relationship. They went on a few more trips to the park with the kids and held hands whenever they could. They were still only kissed, but they touched whenever they got the chance. December rolled in and with it the snow, and soon a big question was popped.

"Hee-chan? What do you want for Christmas?"

Heero looked up from the book he had been studying and looked at the braided teen that lied next to him on the bed. "Huh?"

Duo shrugged and rolled over to his back. "What do you want for Christmas? It's Christmas soon, and it's time to buy gifts and stuff. Since you're my boyfriend I wanna get you something." Heero closed the book and chewed on his lower lip. He really wasn't used to celebrating Christmas. His family didn't believe in the Christmas holiday since they were not Christians, but Heero had received gifts from friends and acquaintances.

"Well? You have something you'd like?"

Heero carefully laid the book on his desk and lied down next to Duo. "Well, I don't know. I already have you and there not really anything else I want."

Duo grinned and propped himself up on his elbows so he could kiss Heero.The kiss was brief, but still warm and deep. When parting, Duo pecked Heero's nose and grinned. "Well, if ya don't mind finding me under your Christmas tree, wrapped in red ribbons and a bow, then you will be very pleasantly surprised. But I think your parents will have a harder time dealing with it." Winking, Duo pushed Heero away and got up to a sitting position. "Besides, I don't think I can fit under your tree."

Heero smirked and pushed Duo down again. "Well, it would have been fun seeing their faces, but we don't have a Christmas tree. My parents don't believe in Christmas."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Man, that's sad."

Heero shrugged. "Not really. It's how I was raised."

Duo looked at him with a curious look, and then smirked. "But it doesn't mean I can't give ya a gift, ne? I really want to."

Heero smirked and nodded. "Go ahead and buy, Duo. But what you get me you'll have to figure out yourself. But if you're giving me a present, then I want to give you one."

Duo grinned and popped himself up to a sitting position. "I can give you a list if you want it."

Heero shook his head. "No need for a list. I already have a fairly good idea of what to buy for you." Seeing that Duo got ready for 'the begging' mode, he quickly shot in. "And, no. Fishing for hints will not work. I want it to be a surprise."

Duo stuck out his tongue and pouted. "Mean, mean, mean. You're mean, Hee-chan."

Heero grinned and slowly bent over to give his boyfriend a kiss. The kiss itself was brief, but still sweet, and when they broke for air, Heero placed a tender kiss at the corner of Duo's mouth and murmured. "I know I'm mean, but I still won't give you any hints..."

Duo just smirked and gave Heero a peck on the nose. "I know... I'm just teasing you..."

Heero smirked and pushed Duo away again, before sliding off from the bed and walking to the door. "I'm gonna make some food. Is the tease hungry?"

Duo grinned and jumped of the bed too. "Starving. I haven't eaten since lunch today."

Heero shook his head and waited until the braided boy was by the stairs before following. "You're always hungry. I don't even know why I bother asking you if you are."

Duo grinned and bounced over to his side to embrace him in a giant bear hug. "Because you know I will rob your fridge if ya let me go too long without food, therefore you ask to make sure I'm full, happy and content."

Heero smirked and gave Duo a quick peck. "I knew I had my reasons. Now, be kind and let me go so I can make us some food." Duo nodded and gave Heero one last, lazy kiss before releasing him. Winking, he jumped down the steps and ran into the kitchen, leaving Heero on the top of the stairs. Heero just sighed over the loss of his boyfriends' lips, but walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen.

Once he popped his head inside, he could see that Duo was already busy robbing the fridge. "Can we make some pasta with meat or something? I'm not getting dinner today since I'm here."

Heero nodded and walked over to the oven. "Sure thing, Duo. Just fetch the pasta and some of the meat in the fridge. My mum left it there for me to use anyway."

Duo grinned and fetched the required items. "Your mum is the greatest."

Heero smiled and pecked Duo's cheek. "I know," he murmured and snatched the frozen meat from Duo's hands. Walking over to the microwave, he set it on defrost and popped the meat inside. "Can you boil water while I defrost this? Then I can start frying the meat when it's done."

"Sure thing, Hee-chan!"

Heero watched as his braided boyfriend danced around the kitchen with a pot before stopping by the sink and filling the pot with water. Heero smiled as Duo placed the pot on the oven and spun three times before turning the oven on. Then he placed his elbows on the table and stared at the pot.

Heero shook his head and turned just as the microwave let itself be noticed and removed the meat. Walking over to the oven, he dumped it into a frying pan and turned a new burner on the oven on. "You know if you stare at a pot, it will never boil."

Duo grinned and stared more intensely on the pot. "We'll just see whose cracking first."

Hero laughed and started to split the meat into smaller pieces while frying it. Soon the smell of fried hamburg meat filled the kitchen and not long after the pot next to him started to boil. "Hah! I won!"

Heero smirked and watched as Duo grimaced at the pot on the oven and dumped the pasta into the water. "Nobody messes with Shinigami and walks away with it."

Heero frowned when he heard Duo mention the word Shinigami. He'd always had to ask when Heero had said something in Japanese. Still he continued to call him Hee-chan and himself Shinigami. Was it possible that Duo just used the words without knowing the meaning of them? It was a possibility that he'd heard them when watching anime or something. He knew that Duo liked the Japanese art form known as manga, and he'd watched many kinds of anime.

"Duo... Do you know what Shinigami means?" he asked and turned the heat down so that the meat wouldn't burn.

Duo turned and looked at him. "Angel or God of death, isn't it?"

Heero nodded. "Hai. Angel of death, or just death. It's mostly translated as God of Death, though. But how come you know the meaning for that word, but don't understand anything else I say in Japanese?"

Duo smiled and shook his head. "It's a simple answer to that one, Hee-chan. Two years ago we had some students from Asia visiting our school and a few students were chosen to help on of the the students. I was among the ones that had to baby-sit a student, and I thought it was going to be hell 'cause I didn't understand shit what he was saying. But the guy was actually pretty good in English, so it wasn't any problem at all. We did a lot of stuff together and one time he watched me play during one of our basketball-matches. He started yelling 'Duo, Shinigami!' out on the field and I was so surprised that I got a ball in the face and was slammed to the ground. I was sure he was insulting me or something, and asked him about it; he told me it meant angel of death. I asked why he called me that and he replied that he thought I was killing everybody on that field with my skills. And I guess that name just stuck to my mind, even after he left." Shrugging, Duo turned the heat down a little bit so that the water didn't boil over. "But that was the only thing he was able to teach me before he left. Oh, and that '-Chan' was something you called friends."

Heero smiled and kissed Duo's cheek. "So you considered me as a friend, even from the start?"

Duo grinned and nodded. "Yup. Told ya I wanted to be your friend."

Heroo just smiled and went back to the oven. He decided that he didn't want to tell Duo that '-Chan' was something you called your female friends and when used on a boy he could get really insulted. 1

Soon the simple meal was finished and Duo set the table while Heero prepared a plate with food for each of them. They ate, chatted about the up coming Christmas dance, and Duo told him that he and the guys were going to play as a part of the entertainment. "It'll be great. We'll perform a couple of songs and stuff. I'm totally looking forward to it."

"I'm sure you guy's will be great."

Duo grinned and took a gulp of water from his glass. "I hope so. We'll mostly do songs we already know, but the guys have two weeks to learn the intrumentals for "Jingle Bells Rock". I already know the lyrics and the guitar chords, so I'll try and help them the best I can." Looking at his boyfriend, Duo carefully asked. "You'll be there, right?"

Heero bit his lower lip and looked down. "I don't know, Duo. You know I don't like big crowds."

Duo nodded. "Yeah, I know, but it would really mean a lot to me if you could just pop in and listen to us."

Heero poked his food around on his plate with his fork and bit his lip. He really wanted to go, but he hated big crowds. And unlike Trowa's birthday party at the disco, Relena would be there. But then again, his boyfriend was going to perform on stage and Heero loved hearing him sing. Wasn't that worth the risk?

"I'll come."

Duo looked up while chewing on a piece of meat. "Say again?"

Heero smiled. "I'll come. I'll come when the prom starts and be there until you've finished performing. Is that okay?"

Duo grinned and jumped of his chair to give Heero a hug. "Really? You'll come? Oh, thanks a bunch, Hee-chan! That really means a lot to me yanno, but you don't hafta stay the whole time. If you can be there for just one song, I'll be happy, happy, happy!"

Heero smiled and nodded. "Hai, Duo. I'll be there for at least one song. It's the least I can do for you. After all, you are my boyfriend."

Duo grinned and placed a chaste kiss on Heero's lips. "That you are, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna force ya to do things you don't wanna do."

Heero smiled and cupped Duo's cheek. "Hey, you don't force me to do anything. If I didn't want to go, I wouldn't have told you I would. I want to, and I know I can survive at least one song. That is, if Relena keeps herself far away from me."

Duo grinned and sat back down on his chair again. "She can just try and get closer than 6 feet of ya. Then I'll throw my guitar on her."

"Your guitar?"

"Heck, I'd rather sacrifice my guitar than you, lover," Duo winked and impaled another piece of meat with his fork. "Besides, I don't wanna come closer that 30 feet away from her if she's wearing the same disgusting dress she did last year and the year before that." Waving the fork around, Duo started telling Heero about the dress. "I've have no sense when it comes to women's fashion what so ever simply because dresses don't interest me. But the cut on that dress was horrible. It looked like somebody without eyes and with the access to scissors had gone berserk on it. I mean, the color was a very nice blue, but the cut."

Heero chuckled and finished his meal. Getting up, he started cleaning up the table, placing the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. "Well, that girl has no sense of style what so ever." Grinning, he added as a joke. "And this comes from me, a guy without style what so ever."

Duo laughed and got up from his chair to pull Heero into a hug. "Well, somebody like you looks good in whatever they choose to wear..." Brushing his lips over Heero's, Duo could feel how Heero's arms wrapped themselves around his neck and pulled him in closer.

Heero closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. They'd been together for a month now, and Heero knew that the attraction between them had only strengthened. Even though it was too soon for them to tell if it was love, Heero was damn sure that he was in love with Duo. Feeling the now familiar hands over his own arms, he smiled and broke the kiss off so he could breathe. Smirking, he looked into Duo's eyes and gave him a quick peck before cleaning away Duo's used plate. "Well, I can't help it if I'm this good looking. But I guess there's a reason for everybody to be after me."

Grinning, Duo stuck out his tongue. "Well, you make damn good food, not to mention that you've got brains."

Laughing, Heero started the dishwasher. "All this time you were actually going for my brain and food? And here I thought it was my body you wanted."

Duo's grin became wider and he walked over to Heero to give his butt a squeeze. "Well, I don't mind that one either."

Pushing Duo away, Heero smirked and walked back to the table. Sitting down, he grabbed his soda can and took a sip. "Keep your hands to yourself, buddy. Just because we're home alone right now doesn't mean you have the right to molest me here at the kitchen."

"Aw, you're boring."

Heero chuckled. "Maybe so, but you're the one who's dating me."

Duo grinned and flipped him a finger. "Maybe dorky, boring neat-freaks turn me on. Or..." Walking slowly towards Heero, he gently rubbed his neck and murmured. "Or maybe it's because you're one of the nicest, sexiest, not to mention greatest guy I've ever fallen for."

Heero sighed and leaned back. It was simply amazing that Duo was able to turn him into goo just by touching him. The guy's fingers were simply magical, not to mention skilled. "That goes for you too, you know," he managed to murmur while closing his eyes. "You're one of the most decent, nicest and breath-taking guys I've even known..."

Duo grinned and kissed the base off Heero's neck. "Well, you flatter me, baby," he murmured softly and continued the massage.

Heero chuckled softly. "Baby? I thought you weren't supposed to call me that, Duo..."

Duo grinned and placed his head on top of Heero's. "Sorry, Hee-chan... It just slipped out of me..."

Heero gently placed his hand on Duo's. "It's okay, as long as you don't say it again..."

"Oh, so angry!"

"Shut up."

Duo nodded and continued the massage with a grin. After a while, he placed a kiss on Heero's cheek and moved to sit down on Heero's lap. Straddling his hips, Duo wrapped his arms around Heero's neck and looked him into the eyes. "Ne, Heero? What are ya up to this Christmas?"

Heero gently placed his hands on Duo's hips and pulled him a little closer. "Nothing, just like I've done every year. Normally, we just eating out before going back home and watching TV while Dad complains about the ridiculous Christmas shows. But this year my parents are going to New York on some sort of seminar and I'll be home alone for most of the Christmas holidays."

"Man, that sucks." Grinning, Duo leaned a little closer and pecked Heero's nose. "But then I have a great offer for ya. Every year since the gang became a group, we've spent the Christmas holiday in a cabin on a mountain just a few hours out of town. We've done so every year because none of us really have anyone to spend Christmas with. Most of the kids at the orphanage go home with possible parents to spend a holiday with them, and the rest has a Christmas dinner in the church. I'm too old to be with the kids, and they really don't need my help, so I'm free to go. Quatre's parents are always working, so it's usually just him and the Maganac's left at home, so he's free to go. Wufei doesn't celebrate Christmas, so he's good to go and Trowa just joins us because his parents don't really care what he does. And he's the only one who can drive us up there."

Looking into Heero's eyes, Duo gently smiled. "Wanna come with us? It'll be fun, I promise. We'll go skiing and have snowball fights and everything. Oh, and if you don't have skies, no worries. There's plenty of both shoes in all sizes and skies up there since the cabin belongs to Quatre's family and the Maganac's always make sure we have everything ready before we come up there. So what do ya say? Wanna come?"

Heero smiled when he heard Duo's offer, and he knew that he didn't even have to think about it. "Where do I sign up?"

Duo's smile widened. "You're really gonna come with us? Just like that?"

Heero nodded. "Yeah, I would love too. Better that than sitting around here and being lonely."

"Ain't ya gonna ask your parents?"

Heero shook his head. "They won't be here anyway, so what could they possible have to say? They don't have control over me when they're gone. But I have to let them know that I'm leaving."

Duo grinned and kissed Heero softly. Deepening the bond between them, they both used their tongues to explore the well-known areas in each other's mouths. When they finally broke for air, Duo couldn't help but grin some more. "That's great, Hee-chan! It'll be so much fun! There's plenty of stuff to do while we're there."

Smirking, Heero nodded. "I bet there are. Knowing Quatre's social status, the cabin probably has everything their regular home has."

Duo grinned and nodded. "That and more."

"Great. Just great."

A few days went by and soon the holidays where upon them. It was the day of the dance and school was out early due to the preparations for the ball. Duo had to stay, along with Wufei and Trowa to make the preparations for their performance, but Quatre was free to go. So the two teens decided to hang out at Quatre's and were talking about the dance, as

"This is going to be so great! We've performed at all the dances we've had at this school, but I have a feeling that tonight will be the best show ever. We've never been in such a good shape before, but it was a little sad that Hilde couldn't make it. That means that two of our songs have to be taken out, but Duo claims that he's found replacements for them already. We're meeting up at my place later to discuss the new songs because it has to be songs we already know."

Heero just sat there and nodded. He was feeling a little down because he'd barely seen Duo all day. He appreciated Quatre's company, really he did, but he really wanted to wish Duo good luck. 'Guess I can call him later,' he thought while Quatre rambled on about a song they'd thought about last week.

"Why can't you guys sing one of those Linkin Park songs Duo fancies? You know just about every song they've made."

Quatre smiled and shook his head. "No, we already have a lot of Linkin Park songs to sing. We're trying our best to have a little variation."

Heero smiled and nodded. "Understandable. It will get boring if you play the same songs over and over again, no matter how good you are at it."

Quatre laughed and nodded. "I guess you're right."

"How many songs are you guys playing anyway?"

Quatre shrugged. "We're not sure yet, but we're at least performing 5 songs."

Heero smiled and grabbed his open soda can from the floor. Taking a sip, he leaned back and looked at Quatre. "Wanna share the titles with me?"

Quatre laughed and shook his head. "Forget it, Heero. You'll just have to wait and see, just like everybody else."

Snorting, Heero drank up the last of the soda and tossed the can into the trashcan. "I guess I will..." Getting up from the bed, Heero stretched his body and glanced at the clock on the wall. "I better get home. I was hoping I could grab a bite to eat and a shower before getting ready for this thing."

Quatre nodded and followed his friend out the door. "It doesn't sound like you're looking forward to this very much, Heero."

Heero sighed and nodded. "No, not really… I am doing this because I really want to hear you and the rest, really I do, but I'm afraid that Relena will attach herself to my arm the whole god damned evening." Glaring in front of him, Heero wished that she could just get lost.

Quatre nodded and leaned against the wall while Heero slipped on his shoes and jacket. "I can understand that. But I can try and provide you with some company because I'm not playing in every song."

Heero smiled and nodded. "That's good. Then maybe you can save the evening from becoming a complete disaster. If Relena decides that she wants to be a pain in the butt, that is."

Quatre laughed and waved as Heero walked out the door and left the Winner Mansion. Walking down the street on his way home, he was quick to pass a certain pastel colored house, not even wanting to look at it, just incase the pink menace inside would spot him. Hurrying around the corner, Heero picked up his pace and ran the last few blocks home. He just wanted to get home, get ready and get the whole evening over with. He was feeling slightly guilty for thinking that; he knew how much this evening meant for Duo. But he couldn't stand the thought off having Relena plastered to his arm for an entire evening. But to hear Duo sing, it would be worth it.

---

"Have fun, Heero! But be sure to be quiet when you get home!"

"I will!" Heero waved to his mother and headed out of the door. The snow had started to pour down now, and Heero pulled his jacket closer to his body, trying to savor the warmth from his body as long as possible.

When he'd gotten home that day, he'd just jumped into the shower and stayed there until his father banged on the door and told him to get out. After he'd wrapped a towel around his waist, he'd gotten out his black dress-pants and a white shirt, but he didn't bother to get properly dressed yet. Just slipping on the pants and a black belt, he'd placed himself in front of the computer and stayed there until it was time for him to go.

Feeling a slight shiver down his back, Heero picked up his pace and focused on getting to the school in one piece. The ice was laying thick under the new fallen snow and the black shoes he was wearing was not designed for slippery ground.

Finally seeing the school, he hurried in the gate and moved towards the front door. Hearing the faint sound of music from inside, he recognized his boyfriend's soft voice. They'd already started.

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock  
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring  
Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun  
Now the jingle hop has begun._

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock  
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time  
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square  
In the frosty air._

Hurrying inside, Heero slipped of his jacket and delivered it to a girl next to the door, making sure he had his keys, cell phone and wallet with him in his pocket. After getting a note with the number of his jacket on it, he walked down the halls, gently nodding to a few known faces from his class, but it was nobody he really knew. He'd never bothered to get to know anyone else but the 'Fallen Angels' simply because they were all he needed. He couldn't get the understanding and mutual respect, not to mention the good time he had with them from anyone else, he was sure. And he could never get the friendliness and warmth he got from do from anyone else.

Walking into the gym hall where the music was played and performed, he tried his best just to slip into the mass at the same time as he tried to let Duo know he was here now. Looking up at the stage from by the door, he smiled when he saw his boyfriend sing and smile to the audience. He simply looked beautiful.

_What a bright time, it's the right time  
To rock the night away  
Jingle bell time is a swell time  
To go ridin' in a one-horse sleigh._

_Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet  
Jingle around the clock  
Mix and a-mingle to a jinglin' beat  
That's the jingle bell rock!_

Smiling, he watched as Duo moved around on the stage, all dressed in a black dress-pants and a black silk shirt. A black tie hung loosely around his neck and the ever present braid was dancing behind his back as Duo moved with the song. Smiling, Heero couldn't help but chuckle a little. Duo, gave the songs everything he had. And the reward was songs with move life than he'd ever heard. He'd never enjoyed a simple song as 'Jingle Bell Rock' so much before.

Trying his best to move between the dancing people, he tried to get nearer to the stage, but it was just about impossible to get any closer. Not if he wanted to risk getting dragged into a close contact dance. Managing to get close to the wall, he placed himself there and watched the group play. Wufei was, as usual, hammering on the drums. Trowa was in charge of the guitar, and Quatre was behind the keyboard. And in front of them was Duo, singing and dancing.

_Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock  
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time  
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square  
In the frosty air._

_What a bright time, it's the right time  
To rock the night away  
Jingle bell time is a swell time  
To go ridin' in a one-horse sleigh._

Heero just kept on smiling while he watched his boyfriend dance and sing to the Christmas carol with a big smile plastered on his face. He looked simply irresistible and Heero couldn't believe that he was actually dating him. They hadn't actually told anyone that they were dating, but they knew that the touches and kisses they shared during classes were enough proof for anyone that bothered to look at them. They didn't need to yell anything out just to prove anything; their relationship was their business only.

_Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet  
Jingle around the clock  
Mix and a-mingle to a jinglin' beat  
That's the jingle bell  
That's the jingle bell  
That's the jingle bell rock!_

With a big smile, Duo finished the song and bowed as the people in the room started clapping. "Thank you," he chirped into the mike and gave the thumbs up. "Thank you so much for a warm welcome and the warm applause at the end here. We really appreciate it and it's heartwarming, but I guess that's just part of the Christmas spirit, eh?" Smiling, he waved his hands towards the other band members and grinned. "I would like to thank the guys behind me here for making total asses of themselves, along with me, and I gonna ask you guys to be patient while we prepare our gear for some more entertainment. Help yourself to some snacks, punch or your lover's kisses or something and we'll be right with you again."

Heero smiled as he watched Duo jump down from the stage and make his way towards him. 'So he did notice me when I came," he smiled and walked towards him.

"Heero, you made it!"

Heero grinned and nodded while making his way towards the teen. As soon as they were within reach of each other, Duo wrapped his arms around his neck and hugged him close. Heero wrapped his own arms around Duo's slender waist and smiled as he leaned into the embrace. "Of course I did, baka. I told you I would come."

Duo grinned and pulled back enough to give Heero a chaste peck on the lips. "Yeah, I know you did. But I'm still ecstatic to see you here. Having a good time?"

Smirking, Heero leaned in and stole another kiss. "I am now..."

Duo chuckled and tweaked Heero's nose. "Sorry, gorgeous, but as much as I would love to stay here and let you kiss me senseless, I have a show to take care off."

Heero nodded and let Duo free from the embrace. "Yeah, I know and I can't wait to see you perform up there. I only caught a glimpse of 'Jingle Bell Rock', but it was enough to see that you were amazing."

Duo laughed and winked. "Thanks, Hee-chan. But that was nothing. Grab a chair and watch as me and the guys really rock the Christmas in." Kissing Heero one last time, Duo winked and ran back over to the stage. Jumping up, he waved to the crowd and grabbed the mike. "Hiya, we're back and good to go. Since the night is still young and the food hasn't been served yet, I was thinking we could take one more of those old- fashioned Christmas songs to get into true holiday spirits, but then I thought 'What the hell'. You all know I'm a total Linkin Park fanatic so without further ado. Here's Linkin Park's 'One Step Closer' just to spice the night up!"

Heero shook his head while clapping along with the others as the music started playing and Duo started singing.

_I cannot take this anymore_

_I'm saying everything I've said before_

_All these words they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Less I hear the less you'll say_

_You'll find that out anyway_

_Just like before..._

The people started dancing as Duo sang and danced on stage. Heero sat down at the first available chair he could find and admired his boyfriend as he sang and moved in perfect harmony with the tones. He watched as Trowa's skilled fingers danced over the strings of the guitar and noticed the loving looks the banged teen occasionally sent Quatre, who was busy playing the keyboard. Heero smirked when he watched Wufei, who also noticed Trowa's look and shook his head as Wufei almost dropped one of the sticks out of pure frustration. But nobody noticed the little scene; nor were any mistakes made as the song continued and the people danced.

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_I'm about to break_

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

_All these thoughts they make no sense_

_I find bliss in ignorance_

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again_

_Just like before_

Heero shook his head as a girl in his math class asked him to dance, telling her to find someone else. He, in general, hated to dance. He felt both uncomfortable and stupid, not to mention that he felt like everybody was looking at him. The only time he'd ever danced in his entire life was that one time with Duo and he knew that it was only with him that he could forget everyone else.

Looking back up at the stage, he could see just how wrapped up in the song Duo was. Every time new verse came, Duo raised his voice and just about screamed out the words. Smiling, he tried to compare the original singer with Duo and found out that they both had a talent to change from high screaming to calm singing without sounding silly.

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_I'm about to break_

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

Getting up for something to drink, Heero walked towards the refreshments table and grabbed himself a glass with something that looked like punch, but tasted like water with lemon and just a hint of sugar. Frowning, he turned to lean against the table while keeping his eyes fixed on the scene. Duo was finishing off the verse and was preparing for the difficult part of the song. Heero remembered listening to Duo and the guys when they practiced on that song a while back, and Duo had gotten horrible hoarse after screaming out the words in the song. However the more he'd practiced, the better he'd sounded, but he was still struggling with the overlap from the screaming directly to calm singing again. Then Duo opened his mouth while leaning a little forward and started singing again.

_Shut up when I'm talking to you_

_Shut up, Shut up, Shut up_

_Shut up when I'm talking to you_

_Shut up, Shut up, Shut up_

_Shut up, I'm about to break!_

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_I'm about to break_

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

_I need a little room to breathe_

_Cause I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

Smiling, Heero clapped along with the other in the audience as Duo finished off the song with no mistakes and bowed to the people. Grinning, he straightened back up and gave Heero the thumbs up. "Thank you," he chirped merrily, but he sounded a little hoarse. "Thank you very much. Now, we'll leave Linkin Park for now simply because I don't have the voice to sing anymore of their songs right now. Umm... Food'll be on in just a few minutes and we'll be right back after the meal with a few more songs, thank you."

The people started clapping again as Duo and the rest gently put away the instruments and came down from the stage.

Heero clapped as well and walked over to the rest as they made their way through the crowd. "Well, that wasn't so bad," Duo winked and threw an arm around Quatre's neck and rubbed his hair.

Quatre giggled and managed to push the braided teen away from him before straightening back up. "I think it went very well. No mistakes yet."

Heero nodded and smiled. "You sounded very good. Couldn't hear a mistake anywhere."

Grinning, Duo lifted his arms up and rested them behind his head. "Well, these are songs we've been practising on for a very long time. It would have been weird if we didn't know them by now."

Wufei snorted and walked past them while adding a mutter of his own to the conversation. "Well, we're not perfect yet, but I guess we'll do..."

Duo raised his eyebrow and snorted. "He'll never think we're good enough... We could sound just like any famous band and he'd still think we'll just do."

Heero shook his head and patted Duo's shoulder. "Don't worry anymore about him. Let's just go and eat. I skipped dinner so I'm actually hungry."

Duo stared at him for a little while before bouncing after him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "I knew that there would be one day that you would actually say that! Just didn't think I would live to see it!" Pretending to be sniffing, Duo dried away an imaginary tear in a dramatically motion.

Heero chuckled. "I get hungry, just like everybody else, baka."

Duo just grinned and leaded them to a table where the refreshments and the food were placed.

---

"I'm telling you," Duo choked out after drinking his fourth glass of punch and rubbing his throat in a soothing motion. "I'll never sing that god damned song again. Sure, it's nice and all, but damn! It really tears on your voice. I don't understand how that guy does it."

Quatre smiled and nibbled on a slice of pizza. "Well, I guess it comes with training. That guy has been a professional singer for quite a few years."

Duo nodded and drank his fifth glass. "Yeah, I guess. But I'm not aiming for a job inside of the entertainment branch, so I guess I won't have to worry about it."

Heero looked at him while slowly sipping on his own punch. "How come? You have a great voice and you should use it."

Duo smiled and shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing for me. Singing is a hobby, but it's not something I wanna make as a living. I mean, you get followed 24/7 and everybody is interested in your private life, not to mention if you believe in something and don't wanna change that belief, everybody's gonna turn on you and burn your CD's in the oven."

Quatre laughed and shook his head. "Duo, the music industry isn't that bad."

"Oh, yeah? Then why the heck does Britney Spears crack down every time somebody says something bad about her? Not that she doesn't deserve it, that girl has nothing to do in that business. She's butt ugly and she can't sing even if her life depended on it. All it took to create her was a bag of makeup, some silicon and blond hair dye." Placing his glass down, Duo looked around in the room. "That's the problem with the world today. You think you have to look like a god damned Barbie doll in order to make some success and the worst part is that it's true. When it comes to girls, you hafta have breast the size of melons and a waist like a nail in order to make it. The guys have to look mushy, but still be strong and masculine Mr. Universes' in order to make some success. What a world!"

Wufei snorted and tossed a napkin into the trashcan next to the table. "And what's with the sudden outburst, Maxwell?"

Duo just shrugged and grinned. "No reason. Just trying to let out some steam, and since we were on the topic, I just thought what the hell. Let this subject fry."

Trowa chuckled and tossed his own paper cup into the trashcan. "Well, I guess it's better than you taking it out on us."

Duo looked at him. "Dude, did you just make a joke?"

Trowa just shrugged and wrapped his arms around Quatre's waist, turning into his normal, silent self again. Heero just smirked and shook his head. Life sure had become interesting after he'd befriended the 'Fallen Angels'. Or after the 'Fallen Angels' had befriended him to be precise. They just continued to surprise him time after time, and he loved every moment of it.

"Enjoying the party, boys?" Heero and the rest turned as Une, the headmaster, came towards them, dressed in a very fitting black dress and a smile. And even better, the glasses were missing.

Duo nodded and lifted his empty glass with a grin. "We sure are, ma'am. Nothing like a party before the holiday's are coming."

Une laughed softly and smiled. "Well, that's good. And I must say that the four of you are doing a very good job up there. It's a pleasure to listen to you."

Duo grinned even wider and tossed the glass into the trash. "Thank you, ma'am. We're doing our best to please the crowd."

"Well, you are doing a good job. But Duo, would you be so kind as to come with me for a moment? I have to talk to you about your position on the basketball-team and if you wish to continue with the 'black panther' team or not. You did mention that you wondered about quitting."

Duo nodded and walked over to Lady Une. "Sure thing, ma'am. Guess I have a moment, but it has to be quick cause I hafta be on stage in a moment or two. Show must go on, yanno."

Lady Une smiled and nodded. "Of course. I'll make it quick."

Duo nodded and walked away together with Lady Une. Heero remained by the table with the others, just staring. It was Quatre who decided that the silence that suddenly occurred was to much and broke it. "He has been talking about quitting because of the lousy team-spirit. Not to mention that the team captain on the panthers is a total homo-phobe and uses every opportunity to look and mention every little mistake Duo might make."

Wufei picked on the tablecloth and looked after Lady Une and Duo. "Rogers, isn't it? That big guy that flunked last year and had to re-take this whole semester?"

Quatre nodded. "That would be him."

Heero snorted. "And he's the team captain? It must be because of his size then and not his brain."

Trowa smirked and nodded. "Isn't that how it usually is?"

Heero chuckled and looked around in the room. "Guess it is..." Sighing, he tossed his cup in the trashcan as well. "Duo's right, you know... The world is a fucked up place."

Quatre smiled nervously and patted Heero's back. "Don't be so down. It's almost Christmas. Just look forward to all the fun things we're gonna do at the cabin."

Heero smiled and nodded. "Yeah... It'll be fun."

Quatre nodded and checked his watch. Looking at the other guys, he nodded towards the stage. "Show time again. Get the gear ready so we're all set when Duo returns." Trowa and Wufei nodded before disappearing back onto the stage to get the instruments ready. Quatre turned back to Heero and smiled. "I only have this song to play before I'm done for the evening, and then I'll come down and keep you company."

Heero smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Quatre. Much appreciated."

Quatre just smiled before disappearing back onto the stage. Heero turned back to the table to grab a slice of pizza when a high pitched voice buried itself into his ears and made his skin crawl.

"HEERO!!!!"

Making the biggest mistake in his life, Heero turned around with his eyes wide open and got an armful of Relena Peacecraft to handle. Feeling two snake-like arms encircled themselves around his neck, he grabbed her waist and started pushing with all his might, but the girl was glued to his body. "What the hell," he managed to breathe out while struggling with the annoying girl. "Relena, let me go! You're making a scene!"

Relena just smiled brightly and hugged him even closer. "Oh, Heero, I'm so glad you could make it. You did it all for me! I'm so happy!"

"For you?!" he yelled out and started pushing even more, the fear of having her so close gave him new energy and more motivation to get rid of her. "I didn't do it for you! The fact that you would be here made me almost decide not to come here in the first place!"

"But you did anyway!" Smiling sweetly, Relena launched herself into Heero's arms and squeezed tightly. "You just can't keep yourself away from me, can you?"

Heero groaned and gave up the struggle. The girl was simply stuck to his arm. Looking around, he wondered if he could use something, **_anything, _**to get the girl away. "Doesn't anything penetrate that thick scull of yours? I didn't come here for you, I came here for the Duo and the others'sake because I promised that I would listen to them."

"Not to mention that he's already taken, you dimwit, so just back off."

Recognizing his boyfriend's husky voice, Heero turned and smiled. "Duo! Thank god!"

Relena snarled when she spotted the black clothed teen, but she let go of Heero's arm. "Well, what do you know. Look who's crawled up from hell to join us."

Duo just glared and placed his hands on his hips. "Well, I like it down there. It's hot, it's not crowded and you're not there."

Relena glared back and brushed her hand through her hair. "Well, there is no way I would ever lower myself down to a guy like you. It's way under my dignity."

Heero shot her a glare that could have melted lead and walked over to Duo. "Let's just ignore her and leave. Besides, you're up soon."

Duo nodded and stuck his tongue out towards Relena. "I'd rather say that being at your level is under _my_ dignity since there is no way in hell, or anywhere else for that matter, I wanna find myself in your shoes. They're probably three sizes to big anyway." Then he turned and walked over to the stage with Heero by his side.

Relena stood back and yelled out after him. "My feet aren't big, you low-life faggot!"

Duo just turned and looked calmly at her with a satisfied smirk on his face. "I'm sorry, but I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Besides, I think I've struck enough nerves for one evening. Have a very crappy Christmas and a sappy new year, princess."

Heero chuckled and took Duo's hand. Giving it a light kiss, he waved and dragged his boyfriend to the stage. Smiling, he placed a light kiss on the other's lips. "You go up there and save this evening, kay?"

Duo grinned and nodded. "Can do, hon!" The he jumped up onto the stage and walked over to the mike while Heero walked over to the chairs and sat down to watch them after making sure that Relena was nowhere near him.

"Welcome back, folks," Duo yelled into the mike and waved to the crowd. "Hope you're content and filled up because now it's time for more entertainment. So get back into boogie-gear and start dancing. And since it's getting closer and closer to midnight and closer and closer to Christmas, I thought we could just sing another little Christmas song." Closing his eyes, he listened as the others started playing before he started singing.

_It must have been the mistletoe  
the lazy fire, the falling snow  
the magic in the frosty air  
that feeling everywhere  
_

_It must have been the pretty lights  
that glistened in the silent night  
It may be just the stars so bright  
that shined above you_

Smiling, Heero closed his eyes as Duo's calm, musical voice floated through the room. He knew that song very well. He'd learned it in San Francisco, but he'd never sung it. He'd never had a reason to. But the version he'd heard wasn't half as beautiful as the one he heard now. Duo's voice was simply made for the song.

_Our first Christmas  
more than we'd be dreaming of  
Ah, Saint Nicholas had his fingers crossed  
that we would fall in love!  
_

_It could have been the holiday,  
the midnight ride upon sleigh  
the countryside all dressed in white  
the crazy snowball fight!  
_

Heero opened his eyes slightly and saw that Duo was looking at him while singing, a little smile playing on his lips. Smiling back, he couldn't help but blow him a kiss. It was not a thing he usually did, but now he felt that it was okay for him to do so. Seeing that Duo's smile widened at the unexpected action, Heero smiled wider and got onto his feet. Walking over to the stage, he used his hand to jump up and walked over to the mike to stand up with Duo. He was very surprised of his own sudden boldness, but he didn't want to turn back now. Seeing that Duo was taken back in surprise as well just made him smile even wider and lean in to sing along with his boyfriend.

_It could have been the steeple bell  
that wrapped us up in its spell  
It only took one kiss to know  
It must have been the mistletoe!  
_

_Our first Christmas more than we'd be dreaming of  
Ah, St. Nicholas must have known that kiss  
would lead to all of this!!_

Duo grinned even wider as his boyfriend leaned in to sing with him. He'd never heard Heero sing before, and he couldn't understand why Heero didn't use his voice to just that. He was incredible! Taking Heero's hand in his, he gently looked at him and smiled when he saw Heero do the same. Feeling him squeeze his hand, he knew that Heero was okay with this. And so together, they sang the Christmas holiday in as the crowd on the floor danced.

_It must have been the mistletoe  
the lazy fire, the falling snow  
the magic in the frosty air  
that made me love you!  
_

_On Christmas eve our wish came true  
That I would fall in love with you  
It only took one kiss to know  
It must have been the mistletoe!  
It must have been the mistletoe!  
It must have been the mistletoe!_

---

_Author's Notes: 1 I'm only stating what I've read on other places, but I must say I'm a little confused about it. Some pages says it's used on females only, others says it's used on your closest friends and other says it's used on kids. O.o _

_-phew- That took forever! I'm so sorry that I've used such a long time on this chapter, but as said before, I barely have the tiome to write anymore. Man, even though I love this school, I also hate it because it takes up all of my spare time! -sigh- But I guess that's bound to happen when you're living at the school 24/7... But what do you think about it? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	22. On Our Way

**New Hope Home**

Hiyo, new chappie. Well, this is a short one, but I figured that would be the best, really. A longer one will come right after this one, I swear. Well, hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Some of the stuff here is taken from my own experiences in a stuffed car. I bet many of you know how fun it is to sit for a hundred hours in a stuffed car... It's hell on four wheels... Especially if your fellow passengers is of the puky kind... T.T

Now, a little PS. I'm leaving for a school trip to China and then having about 2 to 3 weeks on this movie/ animation competition thingie so this will be the last chapter I will post in about a month. I'm horrible sorry about it, but I'll try and post one as soon as I get my hands on a computer. But until I see ya again, Ja Ne!

-

"On Our Way:"

"Yo, Trowa, are you done yet"

Duo was leaning on the car door while tapping his foot, waiting for the Latino teen to come out. "He'll hafta hurry if we wanna miss the rush. I don't know about you, but I have my reasons for not wanting to sit in a car for several hours"

The four teens had arrived to the meeting point, Trowa's house, 20 minutes ago, dragging their luggage with them. Trowa was appointed the driver since he was the only one with a available car. But at the time being, Trowa still was inside, packing and looking up stuff he'd forgotten.

Wufei snorted while repacking the trunk so they could get room for everything they needed. "Yeah, the fact that you throw up if you're in the for too long."

Duo just crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue at the Chinese. "I always sleep while we're driving, thank you very much, and I have yet to throw up in the car. And why do you always have to bring up the time I puked in the bus, huh? I was feeling ill, I'd just eaten a Milky way for lunch and you know it"

Wufei just smirked and continued with what he was doing.

Heero sighed and looked at the time. "If he doesn't speed up we'll be stuck in traffic for hours."

Duo nodded and checked his own time. "No kidding. And the fact that Quatre went up to get him hasn't exactly sped things up either." Growling, Duo walked up to the house and yelled. "TROWA! QUATRE! IF YA DON'T COME DOWN SOON I'M GONNA COME UP AND DRAG YOU OUT, YOU HEAR ME"

Heero just laughed and shook his head. He highly doubted that either the Latino or the Arabian teen would care much for that threat.

After ten more minutes of waiting, Trowa and Quatre finally came out of the house, each carrying a bag. Duo crossed his arms and leaned against the car. "That only took forever. What took you so long anyway" Then he lifted his hand and looked to his side with closed eyes. "Never mind, I don't think I wanna know."

Trowa just shrugged and started placing the two new bags into the trunk while Quatre smiled gently towards the others. "Sorry, but Trowa couldn't remember where he'd put his gloves and we couldn't leave without them."

Duo snorted and smiled widely. "Well, that happens when you only have one pair of gloves." Looking over at the Latino teen, he yelled. "Yo, Trowa! Ever heard of an extra pair"

Trowa just looked at him for a moment before closing the trunk and walked over to the driver seat door. Opening it, he nodded towards the others. "We better hurry if we don't wanna be stuck in traffic."

"How's gonna be in the middle"

Wufei looked at Duo. "What kind of question is that"

Duo shrugged and looked into the back seat. "We have five people this years so one has to be in the middle and we all know that can't be me. I hafta sit by the window."

Wufei snorted and crossed his arms. "I refuse to sit in the middle, just so you know. I refuse to sit squashed and to share my seat with two other people in the backseat anyway"

Duo just grinned. "Well, not our fault that you got such a huge ass, Wuffers."

"My ass is just fine, thank you very much, Maxwell" the Chinese man spat back and got into the passenger seat.

Quatre just looked at him before smiling weakly. "Well... I guess I can sit in the middle. I don't think I take up that much space. I am much smaller than the rest of you."

Duo nodded and got into the backseat. "Well, let's get going. The quicker I can try and sleep, the better it will be for everybody."

Quatre nodded and got into the middle seat. "Point taken."

Heero looked around before getting in as well. He wasn't looking forward to be sitting in a car for several hours, but it would be worth it. He'd brought a couple of books to read to kill the time if it was necessary, so he reckoned that he would survive the trip. Besides, he wouldn't miss it for the world.

His father hadn't been to thrilled when he'd called him just two days ago and stated that he was joining his friend on a mountain trip for the holiday. In fact, he could hear in his voice how much Mr. Yuy wanted to scream out. But his mother had talked to him, saying that it was better for Heero if he could spent Christmas with his friends instead of being all alone. So he got his allowing to go. But only just. Not that it had mattered. He would have gone anyway. After all, nobody was home to stop him.

Trowa waited until everybody was buckled up before starting the car and driving off. Duo curled up into the seat the best he could and closed his eyes, murmuring a soft "See ya in a few hours" before drifting off. Quatre picked up his MP3 player and started to listen to music with his eyes closed while Wufei settled down with a book. Heero stared out the window, noting to himself where they were going. He wanted to know so that on the way home, he could drive. It would at least leave him with something to do.

Exactly two and a half hours later they stopped for a break. Duo remained slumbering in the backseat while Quatre ran inside to use the little boy's room. Heero used this opportunity to stretch his body while Wufei and Trowa went inside the rest stop to get coffee for those who wanted it. Since Quatre didn't drink coffee, and they knew out of experience that Duo wouldn't wake up until they were almost at the cabin, they only ordered three.

While waiting for the others to return, Heero leaned against the car and looked around, noting to himself the name of the rest stop and where it was located. It wasn't a problem for him to remember the directions and different turns they'd made, thanks to the different landmarks. Stretching his hands up in the air, he threw a quick glance inside of the car. Duo had shifted again and was laying with his head resting against the window. He'd almost woken up once when Trowa had spun on the ice for a second, but just as fast, he'd fallen asleep again. Besides from looking a little pale, he was fine. Smiling, Heero really had to resist the urge to crawl into the car and kiss his boyfriend. He didn't want to wake him up and he knew that Duo had the strangest sleeping habit. He could sleep through a hurricane or a bombing, but if anyone so much as breathed or looked at him while he was sleeping, he would instantly wake up.

"Injustice! When the heck did they raise the price for coffee on this damn place! We're finding a different rest stop on the way home, Barton" Wufei was frowning while clutching a innocent paper cup in his hand, almost breaking it.

Trowa just shook his head. "This is the only one for miles, Wufei... We don't have many choices. Besides, Quatre paid for the coffee. He always does."

"It's the principle, Barton! Learn the value of principles"

Trowa just rolled his eyes and handed one of the steaming cups to Heero. Heero nodded in thanks and took a sip of the black liquid. "How much longer will it take before we reach the cabin"

Trowa shrugged and took a sip out of his own cup. "Three, four hours maybe. It all depends on the traffic. But it hasn't really been a problem before, so I'd say we'll be there in three and a half hours. Four if Duo wakes up and demands a rest stop of his own so he can empty his bladder and get something to eat. But he normally eats and relieves himself before the trip starts so it's really not a problem. He knows he'll get food when we get to the cabin and he knows that if we take a long time getting there, it'll be worst for him."

Heero chuckled and looked over at his koi. "He gets that carsick, huh"

Trowa chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. I think it was two years ago, around Easter time, he woke up when we'd only gotten half the way because he had to pee. We stopped by a forest, let him do his thing in private and headed off again, but with one problem. Duo wasn't able to go back to sleep and he turned out so sick that we had to stop several times because he didn't want to throw-up in the car. When we finally reached the cabin after 5 hours, he just dragged himself to the room he normally uses and stayed there for the rest of the evening accompanied by a bucket. He didn't even come out to eat. But he was fine the next day, so nothing was ruined for him."

Heero nodded and took a new sip. "That's good. Would be boring for him to just lie on his back for a whole vacation."

Trowa nodded and finished his coffee. "You have no idea..." Crushing the cup in his hand, he tossed it in the direction of a trashcan beside him and missed it by a mile. Heero couldn't help but snort as he crushed his cup and tossed it perfectly into the can. Trowa just shrugged and got back into the car.

Moments after, Quatre came back with five bottles of water and a big smile. "Well, I think we're good to go again. Where's Wufei"

"Right here" the Chinese mumbled and shoved his hands down in his pockets. Grabbing one of the bottles from Quatre's arms, he mumbled something about the public toilets and got into the car. Quatre just sweat dropped and handed Heero a bottle of his own. Heero smiled and took it before he used it to cool down his forehead. He wasn't really looking forward to be placed in the hot car again, but unless he wanted to stay he had to. Watching as Quatre got a kiss from Trowa after giving him a bottle as well, he wished that Duo was awake as well. Sighing, he waited until Quatre had crawled over to the mid-seat and placed the bottle for Duo in the braided teen's lap before getting in himself.

"Well, let's get going then" Quatre chirped merrily and patted the drivers seat.

Wufei just groaned and mumbled out an annoyed "Buddha, spare me" before the car was started and the five teens was on the road again.

They decided not to stop for any food as Quatre had brought a bag with him filled with snacks for the trip. Everything seemed to be floating by just fine. They were only an hour and a half away from the cabin, they had food and drinks, the radio was finally playing good music and Duo was fast asleep. For the time being.

Heero was munching from a bag of potato crisp when a movement caught his eyes. Looking up from the book he'd been reading, he watched as Duo started stretching and blinked with his eyes. Quatre immediately tensed up, looking frantically at the braided teen.

Duo himself was still halfway in dream land, but his body had just decided that he had to wake up now. It was getting dark outside and he had to adjust his eyes to the dim light. That had to mean that they were almost there. "Yo, Tro?" he managed to slur out while stifling a yawn. "We there yet?"

Trowa shook his head. "Sorry, but you've woken up too soon. We're still a good 60 minutes away from the place."

"What!" Duo started to look around in the car. "Christ, man! Oh, this ain't good! Did anybody bring the bo-nine!"

Quatre shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I think we forgot it this year."

Duo let out a yelp and started at Quatre with big eyes. "What"

Wufei snorted and turned to look at the slightly pale teen. "Stop your whining, Maxwell. You can handle 45 minutes, can't ya?"

Duo just curled up and squeezed his eyes shut. "Come on, come on, go back to sleep!"

Quatre gently patted Duo's knee. "Don't thing that'll work, Duo. The only thing you can do is try to relax for the last minutes. You can borrow my MP3 player if you want to." Handing him the MP3 player, Quatre offered a smile.

Duo smiled back and carefully accepted it. "Thanks, Quat... If I hafta puke, I'll make sure I don't puke on you..."

Quatre chuckled softly and sat back into his seat. "Much appreciated, Duo, but please let us now when you're feeling sick so that we can stop for you. I don't think Trowa's dad will appreciate any stains in here."

Duo chuckled, but quickly shut-up as he started shivering just a little bit. Curling up a little in the seat, he groaned and pushed the earplugs into his ears. "I'll... I'll just try and relax a little..." he managed to slur out after a little while and closed his eyes.

Heero watched as some more of the healthy colour in Duo's disappeared as Trowa made a rather rough turn to the right. "Trowa, do you think you can speed down just a little"

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything. The roads here are rather slippery and I'll have to make some rough turns."

Heero nodded and leaned back into the seat. Glancing over at Duo, he watched as the teen breathed rather heavily. His eyes slipped open every now and then, and he kept on swallowing. Tapping Quatre's shoulder, he asked quietly. "I think he'd do good with some water. Where is the water bottle you bought for him"

Quatre looked around and whispered back. "I laid it on his lap. It must have fallen down."

Heero nodded and unbuckled himself from his seat. Bending over, he started searching for the lost water bottle, finding it halfway under Trowa's seat. Reaching after it, he managed to touch the cork before Trowa took another turn and sent Heero down onto Quatre's lap before falling onto the floor while the bottle went further under the seat. Letting out a nice rams of curses, halfway because he'd lost the bottle, halfway because his foot now was jammed under Wufei's seat.

"Christ, Heero, are you okay" Quatre grabbed his arms and tried to pull Heero back onto the seat. He'd been caught completely by surprise when Trowa had made that turn, sending the Japanese almost flying onto his lap before he'd made impact with the car floor.

"I'm fine" Heero groaned and managed to pry his foot loose from under the seat. "But the bottle got away."

Duo looked at him and gave a weak smile. "Hee-chan, that's so nice of you... But I'm not helpless just because I'm feeling a little under the weather. I can grab the bottle myself." Then he bent over and snatched the bottle as it came rolling out from under the car. Screwing it up with shaky fingers, he took a big swig of it before slumping down into the seat. Smiling weakly again, he lifted the bottle. "Buckle up before you fall down again, Hee-chan... But thanks for caring..." Screwing the cork back on, Duo placed it on his lap and closed his eyes.

Heero did as requested and buckled back up, but not before he'd flashed Duo a teeny smile of his own. Leaning back into the seat, he closed his eyes and mumbled. "Just how much further until we react the cabin"

Wufei checked the time and muttered. "Another half hour."

Heero groaned and nodded. "Another half hour... Great... In that time, I can fall down onto the floor two more times... It'll kill some time at least..."

-

If he'd fallen asleep or not during the time that was left, Heero didn't know, but he knew that when he finally opened his eyes again they had reach the cabin. Rubbing his eyes, Heero unbuckled the seatbelt and got out of the car to stretch. Stretching his arms high over his head, he looked over the cabin and whistled. "It's huge."

Quatre smiled while taking out his bag. "It's one of our smaller cabins, but it has plenty room for 5 people and we should be equipped with everything we might or might not need. The Maganac's were up here yesterday and checked that everything was okay for a decent Christmas celebration. But we have to chop down our own tree. It's a little tradition we have. So I thought we could look for one tomorrow."

Heero nodded. "Sounds good." Then he turned as he heard a groan from the car. Watching as Duo slumped out of the car and dragged himself up to an upright position made him rush over and wrap an arm around his waist. "Hey, are you okay"

Duo heaved a little, but didn't puke. After taking a few deep breaths, he mumbled. "I've been better... But I'll live..."

"Want some help to get back up to the cabin"

Duo smiled a weak smile and nodded. "Since you're insisting..."

"I am." Hoisting Duo more upright, Heero started leading the two of them towards the cabin.

"I'll get your bag up to your room, Duo" Quatre yelled out as he hoisted Duo's bag out of the car.

Duo nodded and croaked out. "Yeah, thanks, Quat... Much appreciated..."

Waiting patiently until Quatre had unlocked the cabin door, Heero walked them into the cabin and looked around. "My god... This place is amazing."

Quatre smiled and dropped down a few bags by the front door. "Thanks, but it's not all that much. Is one of our smaller cabins and it's not as fancy as the rest."

Heero just raised an eyebrow in disbelief before looking down at the slightly green teen that was hanging on to his shoulder. "Where's your room"

Duo nodded towards the stairs in the two floored cabin and croaked out. "Upstairs. The room next to the bathroom."

Heero nodded and went to the task of getting Duo up the stairs without hurting the guy. "Any particular reason for choosing that room"

"Not really..." Duo groaned, but still managed to give Heero a weak smile. "But it takes less time to get there for me than the rest."

Heero snorted and hoisted Duo up the last of the stairs. "And that's a good thing"

"Gee, I dunno..."

Heero just shook his head and brought the two of them over to the door next to the bathroom. He barely managed to open the door with his elbow, but after a little work, he managed to bring Duo into the room and onto the bed. Stroking a gentle hand over Duo's pale face, he murmured softly. "Is there anything you need"

Duo swallowed and asked weakly. "A little water would be nice... And a bucket so I won't have to move so far, just in case I hafta puke."

"I'll get it for you..." Walking out of the room, Heero first went into the bathroom and snatched a glass that was standing on the sink. Washing it in hot water to make sure it was clean, he filled it up with cold water while looking around in the room. Spotting a bucket next to the shower, he picked it up and brought it back to the room along with the water glass. Placing the bucket next to Duo's bed and the glass on the nightstand, Heero sat down on the bed and brushed some of the hair away from Duo's face.

Duo slowly opened his eyes and smiled weakly. "Thanks, Heero... Much appreciated..."

Heero smiled back and placed a kiss on Duo's forehead. "No problem, Duo... It was only my pleasure..."

Duo coughed a little before looking around in the room. "Where're you gonna sleep"

Heero shrugged and looked out the window that was over Duo's bed. "I don't know. Quatre said I could just pick any room I wanted, so I'll go and have a look around."

Duo coughed some more before his face got a little more flushed colour than before and he lifted his head to stare at Heero. "Well, I was kinda wondering... Quatre and Trowa decided to share a room together now and... Well... I just wondered if you wanted to share the room with me"

Avoiding to look Heero straight in the eyes, Duo started picking on the sheets under him. "We could always move another bed in here if ya wanna, but if ya don't want to, I understand. And I certainly don't expect you to share a room with me now, I mean, since I'm nauseous an' all, but"

Heero pressed his finger to Duo's lips and silenced him. Smiling slightly, he placed a tender kiss on the braided teens lips and murmured. "Move over... You're taking up all the space."

-

_Author's Notes: Short, short, horrible short. But it's a bridge between the last and the next chapter, so please forgive me. I think the next chapter will be much longer though. What do you think about it? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	23. A night of Peace

**New Hope Home**

Hiyo, I'm back from China and have whipped up a new chappie. Well, well, well, this is going swell, eh (hey, that rhymed!)? First I've made big time-jumps and now I'm suddenly dragging out the days. O.o Well, the first night in Quatre's cabin isn't anything special, everybody's sleepin' anyway. But now it's time for the first day. As Quatre would have said it: Allah, have mercy!

Thank you so much for being patient with me, I'm really trying my best to write every chance I get. Hopefully I'll get my ass in gear pretty soon.

"A night of Peace:"

Duo gently blinked his eyes as a warm hand pressed against his shoulder on his shoulder and shook him, ripping him out of his dream. "What? It's vacation, dammit! Lemme sleep!" he slurred out and buried his face in the pillow.

The hand's owner chuckled, and murmured softly. "It's also breakfast, so unless you want to starve, you better get up, get dressed and get down. We're heading out to hunt for trees."

"Well, the trees won't run away from you, so what's the rush?" Duo moaned from under the blanket.

Heero shook his head and dragged the quilt off the curled up teen. "Up, Duo. It's almost noon. You've slept long enough."

Duo looked up and frowned. Sticking out his tongue, he sat up and Heero couldn't help but chuckle. The sight in front of him was... very entertaining.

Duo had woken up in the middle of the night because of the heat and had, still halfway in dreamland, managed to pull out a very big, black T-shirt from his bag, stripped off his jeans and sweater, pulled the shirt on and crawl back to bed. He hadn't exactly been quiet, so Heero had lied and watched him undress. It hadn't been like the strippers on TV, but the sight was both pleasant and entertaining nonetheless. But still the sight in front of him now was downright adorable.

Duo was sitting in the middle of the bed, socks still on his feet and the T-shirt halfway slipping off his shoulder. His braid had started to unravel at the end and loose hairs were sticking out everywhere. The pout and sleepy gaze only made him even cuter and Heero couldn't help but chuckle.

"And just what is it that you find so very entertaining, Yuy," Duo yawned and tried his best to glare. But he was still so sleepy that the best he could do was a frown. That only made Heero laugh more. "Gee, nice to know that you're loved..."

Heero shook his head and sat down. "Sorry, Duo. But you were just so... cute sitting like that."

"Cute?" Duo raised an eyebrow and instantly became more awake. "I can't believe you actually called me cute. I don't even think you've said the word before." Crossing his arms, he added more teasingly. "And I'm not cute. Breathtakingly sexy, yes, but cute? Guys like me aren't cute!"

Heero just chuckled and placed a tiny kiss on the other teen's lips. "Get ready, Duo... Quatre's waiting for us and god knows what'll happen if we let Wufei handle the axe..."

Duo was out of the bed 0.1 seconds later and was running towards the bathroom, yelling "I've got to see that!" leaving Heero shaking his head while sighing.

"No way! I'm not letting him handle the axe! If he gets his hands on it, we'll all get decapitated!"

Duo snorted and crossed his arms. "Like you handling it is so much better. Then it would be safer to be in the tree's place. But fine. If ya don't wanna hand over the axe to me, then hand it over to someone else. And why the heck are you so keen on chopping down the tree?"

Wufei glared and waved the axe in front of him. "If you want to have something done correctly, then you have to do it yourself!"

Quatre silently raised his hand and sweat dropped. "Please, Wufei, don't wave the axe around."

Heero groaned and yanked the axe out of Wufei's grasp. "Will you two knock it off? This isn't exactly a break-in on Fort Knox or anything; it's just the simple matter of chopping down a tree! Don't make such a big deal out of it."

Duo raised an eyebrow and pulled a face. "Where's the fun in that?"

Heero sighed and looked down. The trip out to the forest had taken them forever because Wufei and Duo had used the whole way to argue about the stupid axe. While Duo had remained somewhat cool, he'd still managed to tick off Wufei to the line of steam almost coming out of his ears. Not that THAT was so difficult. The fact that Quatre had tried to reassure him with the fact that this happened every year, didn't calm him down much.

Wufei crossed his arms and stuck his nose up in the air. "Well, I didn't start it."

Trowa scratched his cheek. "Actually, you did. You were the one muttering about not letting Duo near the axe."

Wufei glared. "Shut up, Barton!"

Quatre raised his hand and smiled nervously. "Now, now. Let's all calm down. Let's just chop down the tree, bring it back to the cabin and put it up. Then we can make something to eat and have a nice evening together before we decorate the tree tonight or tomorrow."

Duo grinned and nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. As long as you promise to whip up a pot with cocoa!"

Quatre smiled and nodded. "Of course."

Heero lifted the axe and looked at the others. "So who's gonna chop down the tree?"

Duo smiled and pointed at him. "Well, you're already holding the axe. And you're the only one who hasn't chopped down a tree yet. So please do the honours, lover."

Heero shook his head again, but this time he let a little smile play on his lips. Looking up at the others, he asked gently. "So... Which tree?"

Duo looked around and pointed at a very big and bushy tree. "How about that one? It's big enough."

Quatre shook his head. "No, it's too much. It's much prettier with a slimmer tree."

Wufei nodded towards a tree that looked like it been through hell four times. "How about that one? Slim enough for you?"

Duo frowned towards the Chinese and shook his head. "Drop the sarcasm, dude. Just because Quat wants a slimmer tree doesn't mean you hafta find the skinniest tree in the area."

"What! I'm being serious, dammit! Just because it's a little puny, doesn't mean it doesn't deserve a chance!"

Duo looked at him with a mildly amused look. "Wufei... It's a tree..."

Quatre lifted a hand. "Um, trees are living things too. It has feelings too. And without them, everything will die."

Duo shrugged and rubbed the sleeve of his leather jacket. "That's true. But I don't think tree's care if they're weak or not."

Wufei glared and opened his mouth, but Trowa lifted his hand and silenced him. "It's too beaten up. It'll die before we get the chance to decorate it. The best thing for it is that we leave it here, or chop it up for firewoods."

Duo grinned. "Wanna make a 'strong' fire today, Wuffers?"

Wufei flipped him a finger and grumbled some phrases on Chinese. Duo just laughed and looked around for the perfect tree while yelling "Here, treebies, treebies, treebies!"

Heero just sighed and started looking around like the others. They needed a good tree, preferably around 6 feet tall and with the perfect thickness. This was his first Christmas celebration and he wanted the best tree he could find. Scanning the area, he looked and analysed the trees he found, but didn't find any tree that was good enough. At least not in his opinion.

"Hey! How about this one?"

Everybody turned to stare at Trowa, who in return pointed at a very nice looking tree. It was about 6 feet tall and it was nice and bushy with a nice green colour. It was the closest thing to perfect you could get.

Duo studied it. "It's a nice looking tree. Almost a shame to chop it down, just to make it into a Christmas tree and let it die slowly in our living room."

Wufei growled. "And you say I'm destroying the Christmas mood?"

Duo just stuck his tongue out and grinned.

Heero decided to ignore the ranting Chinese and his idiotic boyfriend so he could study the tree. "Quatre? Wouldn't it be smarter to saw it down? Most of the tree's trunk is cowered by its branches and it would be a shame to hit it wrong."

Quatre nodded and looked at the others. "Heero has a point."

Duo stopped teasing Wufei and nodded. "I get ya. But we have slight problem when it comes to the plan."

"What?"

Duo shrugged. "We didn't bring the saw. Only the axe."

Everybody looked at each other before eyes fell on Duo again. Duo stared back before guessing what was going on in their heads. "What? No! No way! I'm not running all the way back just to pick up the axe! Send Wufei out, he's much stronger than me!"

"But you're the fastest one out of the five off us."

Seeing the intense stare from his four friends made him sweat drop and he groaned in defeat as one of the eyes softened and turned into something that reminded Duo greatly about a pair of puppy eyes. He couldn't help but to stare dumbly into the said pair of eyes. "Okay, okay, I'll get the fucking axe! Geez, gimme a break!" he finally yelled out and threw his hands into the air.

As the braided teen run the trail back to the cabin, Quatre turned to Heero with a small smile on his lips. "Heero, I didn't even know you could do that. I thought only I could create those eyes."

Wufei chuckled. "Very slick of you, Yuy."

Heero just snickered.

"Okay, easy. Easy! Hold it like that while we get the foot fo the tree!" Sending Wufei down into the basement to get said foot, Quatre smiled and clapped his hands before sitting down and started digging around in a box he and Duo had just brought down from the attic. He was having the time of his life. But some of his comrades had a slightly more difficult time.

Heero grunted as some branches tickled him in the face and his arms were starting to get slightly tired from holding the tree up. "Trowa, can you hold it a little more upright? I'm loosing my grip."

Trowa nodded and shifted his grip so Heero could get a firmer grip on the tree as well as getting the annoying branches out of his face. "Where the fuck are Duo and Wufei? We could really use a hand with the tree!" Heero managed to grunt out while shifting his grip a little.

"Duo's still up in the attic and is searching for the other box of Christmas decorations," Quatre replied while digging around in a box, making a little happy face when he dug up a little angel. "Wufei's down in the basement, checking if we might have put the foot down there."

Heero grunted again. "And why do we have to hold the tree up? Can't we put it down or support it against the wall?"

"It's much easier this way," Quatre replied. "You two have already got a good grip around the tree so it will save us a lot of trouble when we find the foot."

Heero failed to see the logic in Quatre's plan and was about to comment it when Wufei came up from the basement, carrying a box. "Did you find the foot, Wufei?" he panted out. He was really starting to feel the strain in his muscles now.

Wufei shook his head and held out the box. "No foot, but I did find the decorations for the tree."

Quatre looked at him. "Decorations for the tree? But... Didn't we put them up in the attic with the other decorations?"

Wufei snorted and placed the box on the table before walking over to give Heero and Trowa a hand with the tree. "Apparently, we didn't. After all, I found it in the basement."

The blonde gently sat back and rubbed his chin. "Then that must mean-"

"Hey, Quat? I couldn't find the box with decorations, but I did find the foot to the tree stored away in a corner. Didn't we put that in the basement?" Duo came walking down the stairs, the foot to the tree in his hand and with a slightly confused look on his face. He was also covered in dust.

Quatre laughed nervously and got onto his feet. "I must have switched them. Oh, well, at least we have everything."

"Great," Heero managed to grunt out as a branch started tickling his nose. "Can you get the foot on the tree then?"

"Oh, sorry!" Duo hurried over to the three boys and started pressing the foot onto the tree while Quatre fished up a circular tree skirt, coloured in green and red, up from the box Wufei had brought up and placed it on the floor. The three tree-bearers gently manoeuvred themselves over to the spot and placed the tree in the middle.

"There. That wasn't so bad." Both Heero and Trowa frowned towards Wufei who shrugged. "What? It wasn't that heavy."

"Then you can hold the tree for half an hour next year," Heero mumbled and went to help Duo who was busy dusting off his clothes.

"Well, at least the tree is up," Quatre chirped merrily and clapped his hands. "Now we can all get ourselves something to eat and drink before we decorate it. Then we can place the gifts under it before we just enjoy ourselves for the rest of the night."

Duo grinned and blew some of his bangs away from his face. "Can we break into your parents liquor closet again? I really liked that vodka we drank."

Quatre laughed nervously. "I don't think we should drink like we did last year, but I can't see why we can't help ourselves just a little."

Heero smirked while dusting off Duo's braid. "Last year?"

Duo chuckled and dusted of his T-shirt. "Well, we discovered last year that Quat's parents have a liquor closet up here. Not very surprisingly really, all parents have that, but it had been right under our noses all along." Pointing at a large globe next to a piano, he snickered. "We didn't notice it before I started playing around with the globe and discovered that it was hollow and filled with bottles. So we decided to help ourselves and prayed that we wouldn't be noticed. The plan was to have just a little and enjoy ourselves, but we got a little out of hand."

Quatre cleared his throat and scratched his next. "Long story short, we got drunk."

Duo snickered and removed his braid from Heero's hands before pecking his cheek. "Wufei got so wasted that he disappeared into the woods to puke. Later he passed out in the hallway. Trowa looked himself in the bathroom where he blacked out, while I fell asleep halfway off of the sofa. Quatre was the only one who was able to drag his body to bed. To bad it was my bed and he puked all over it." Snickering, Duo walked past Quatre and started digging into the box Wufei had brought up, bringing up an angel attached to a piece of yarn. "Needless to say, we all suffered a major hangover the day after."

Heero snickered and joined Duo by the box. "You don't say."

Wufei cleared his throat and cast a glare on Duo. "And it's needless to say that THAT will not be repeated this year. We came through our first celebrations here sober and we can might as well repeat it this year."

Duo nodded and smiled. "Point taken and accepted. Besides, what's the fun being drunk all Christmas? You miss so much of the good stuff if you're just laying around in bed, feelin' bad. Besides, getting drunk isn't that much fun. Much more fun to have an actual conversation and playing games when your friends are sober and you don't have to worry about getting' puked on."

Heero smiled and fished up a box with brightly coloured orbs to hang on the tree. "I share your opinion there, Duo. To bad that there's to many people who's disagreeing on that."

Duo snorted and threw a box with hearts to Trowa. "Who cares. They can do whatever they want. What I just said is my opinion and if somebody wants to disagree with me, then be my guest. I'm not gonna change my opinion just because somebody thinks something else."

Quatre smiled and sat down across of him so he too could dig in the box. "And that is exactly why we all like you."

Duo smiled warmly and handed the top star to Quatre. "Thanks, Quat..."

Wufei cleared his throat again and tapped Heero's shoulder. "Forgive me for breaking the mood here, but wasn't food the next thing on our list. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. The decorations can wait, we have all evening."

Duo grinned and jumped up. "Finally you spoke a language I understood, Wuffers!" he chirped and patted the Chinese's shoulder. "I'm starvin'!"

Quatre laughed and got up along with Heero. "Then lets make something to eat. Shall we go for some sandwiches or shall me make ourselves a proper meal."

Heero threw a quick glance at the clock on the wall. "It's almost 9."

Quatre quickly turned his head to confirm the time and gasped. "Good heavens, is it that much already? I didn't even notice."

Heero just smiled and nodded towards the kitchen. "I think it would be in everybody's interest if we make ourselves a proper meal now. After all, we haven't eaten since lunch. If we get hungry during the night, we can just make ourselves a sandwich."

"Or we can make ourselves a proper midnight snack," Duo winked and stretched.

Wufei groaned and walked into the kitchen. "Maxwell, your appetite is not normal."

"Hey, I'm a growing boy!" Duo shot back while following the groaning Chinese into the kitchen. Heero just snickered along with Quatre and Trowa before they joined the other two in the kitchen.

"Phew, I'm stuffed!" Placing his fork down, Duo leaned back against the chair and patted his stomach. "That was one good meal."

Heero smiled and put his own fork down as well. "Amazing what we can do with a little co-operation, ne?"

Quatre smiled and gently dried his mouth with a napkin. "Indeed. But I never though we would be able to get all that rice off the floor."

Duo smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck. "Sorry 'bout that... Didn't know that the pack was open..."

Wufei snorted and put away his chopsticks. "It still doesn't give you a reason to throw stuff around, Maxwell."

Duo shrugged and went to the task of cleaning off the table along with Quatre. "Just tried to help, dude. I mean, with you attending the chicken, Heero chopping up the veggies, Trowa with the sauce and Quatre with the rice, there wasn't really much else I could do but pass stuff around."

Heero snickered and removed his own plate. "And that's why we left the dishes for you, lover."

Duo just snorted and started cleaning off the plates over the trashcan. "Hon, this is Quatre's cabin we're talking about."

Quatre shrugged and smiled. "We have a dishwasher."

Heero snorted and placed the plate beside the others for Duo to clean off. "Should have figured."

Duo grinned and straightened up in time to give Heero's cheek a peck. "Yes, you should, hon. I am very disappointed with you."

Heero smirked and gave Duo a peck of his own. "Maybe you should teach me a lesson then."

Duo just grinned and leaned in for a kiss, only to be interrupted by Wufei's 'Get a room!' Heero gently smiled and gave Duo a kiss anyway. "We can continue that later. Now isn't the time."

Duo smiled back and went back to the task of cleaning plates before putting them into the dishwasher. "Get your point."

Quatre smiled and continued to clean the table with the help from Trowa. "Lets finish the pots now so we don't have to worry about it later tonight or tomorrow. Then we can make cocoa later too."

Duo grinned and straightened up. "We better. You promised me."

Quatre laughed. "Don't worry, you'll get your cocoa, Duo."

Duo grinned and bounced out off the kitchen to see if it was anything else that needed to be cleared out. Finding it already cleaned, he walked over to the Christmas tree. "So, when are we gonna decorate it? Tomorrow?"

Quatre nodded. "I think we should. After all, tomorrow's Christmas eve."

Duo smiled and sighed as he slumped down onto the couch. "Ah, Christmas eve... I love that day... But of course, I don't hate Christmas day either. All those presents." Grinning, Duo put up a greedy, little face, something that made Heero snicker.

"Down, boy, you'll get your presents soon enough," he murmured and gently leaned over Duos shoulder to press a little kiss to his lips. Feeling the braided boy respond under the gentle motion, Heero smiled and ended it with a little nip on Duo's lower lip.

"And you're callin' me a tease?" Duo murmured and cupped Heero's cheek "I swear, you can be more teasin' than I am sometimes."

Heero smiled and turned his head to place a quick kiss on Duo's hand. "As I've said before, I'm a natural..."

Duo just laughed and gave Heero's earlobe a little nip before the Japanese teen leaned back and moved around to sit down on the couch beside his boyfriend. Duo instantly crawled onto his lap and made himself comfortable, ignoring the snicker he drew from a certain Chinese.

Heero didn't complain about the action either. He instantly wrapped his arms around the braided teen's waist and nuzzled his neck.

Quatre smiled and leaned against his own boyfriend. "This is was it should be like all the time... Peaceful..."

Wufei nodded and placed himself into a chair. "Agreed..."

Duo turned his head and smiled as movement outside the window caught his attention. "Hey... It's started snowin'..."

Heero smiled and pulled Duo just a little closer to his body. "I hope it snows tomorrow too... It'll be so nice to just light up the fire and watch as the snow fall..."

Duo chuckled and leaned against his boyfriend. "Don't tell me you're turning mushy on me, Hee-chan."

Heero just placed a kiss at the nape of Duo's neck and smiled. This was what life really should be. Peaceful and surrounded with people that you cared for. He just hoped that Christmas Eve would be just as perfect as tonight was.

Quatre yawned and checked the time. "It's almost 11. I think I'll just call it a night and go to bed."

Duo smiled and waved. "Nighty, Quat. Watch out for any monsters under the bed."

Quatre just laughed and walked up the stairs to get ready for the night.

Duo smirked and looked at Trowa. "Go ahead, T-bone. You know you wanna," he teased and let the smirk turn into a teasing smile.

Trowa just shrugged and stared out the window. "I think I'll sit up just a little bit longer. It's just so peaceful and nice right now."

Wufei snorted and got up. "Peaceful as it is, I think I will retreat as well. We have a lot of decorating to do tomorrow and I just know that Quatre will drag us out to make a snowman or two." Walking over to the stairs, he added an annoyed "But I don't see the point in decorating the entire cabin with small fat Santa's and all that other Christmas crap."

Duo laughed. "Come on, Wuffers, I know you like to build snowmen just as much as the rest of us. And just admit it, you like decorating with us."

Wufei shrugged. "Well, it's okay. But wrapping strings of popcorn around me was unnecessary!"

Duo grinned. "Maybe so, but it was very funny."

Wufei huffed and walked up the stairs, leaving the three other teens. Shortly after, Trowa got up too. "I think I'll just go to bed as well. Night."

Duo and Heero said their good nights to the tall teen and watched as he disappeared upstairs and listened to the fading footsteps. Soon, only the sound of a ticking grandfathers clock was heard as well as the soft wind outside.

Duo smiled gently and shifted on Heero's lap so he could face his boyfriend. "Well... 's just you and me now..."

Heero smiled and nodded while running his hands over Duo's back. "Yeah..."

Leaning his head against Heero's, Duo gently whispered. "So... Having fun yet?"

Heero nodded. "Hai... It's very nice up here. I can see why you're going up here every Christmas."

Duo chuckled and nodded. "Yeah... It's very pretty up here. And we've always been blessed with snow." Shrugging, he added. "Well, that's not so strange, considering that we're up on a mountain."

Heero laughed softly while letting his hands trail over Duo's back, stopping just over his buttocks before trailing them upwards again. "Well, I guess it can't be helped then."

Duo chuckled again and let his eyes flutter close. "Well... Sometimes we can get a little too much of the good stuff too. Two years ago we were caught in a really bad snowstorm. We never thought it would ease up." Chuckling, Duo sat up a little and looked around in the room. "Not that we suffered. This cabin have it's own supply of electricity and we had plenty off food. But I couldn't help but getting' that feelin' that we were caught just like that family in 'The Shining', and I half expected to see Trowa or Wufei come running down the stairs, swinging the axe over their head and cackle like mad." Frowning a little when Heero started laughing, he added. "Hey, it's always the quiet ones that crack first."

Heero stopped his laughing and just stared at Duo with a big and loving smile. "Maybe so... But I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Duo grinned and leaned over so he could rub his nose against Heero's. "Damn straight. Now I have you to protect me."

Heero smirked. "Well, if Trowa or Wufei come running with an axe over their head, you're on your own."

Duo put up a little hurt face before sticking his lip out in a pout. "Nice to know that you're loved..."

Heero laughed softly and pulled Duo a little closer and brought his face closer to his. "Just joking with you..."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Yanno, you have a very cruel sense of humour."

Heero simply smiled. "I know... But at least I have one. But don't worry about any axe swinging lunatic. If anything like that ever happened, I would come back for you..."

Duo smiled gently. "Promise?"

Heero nodded. "Promise..."

"I'll hold ya to it, yanno."

"I know."

"So if ya break it, I'll come back to haunt you and make your life downright miserable."

"Duo..."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

Sighing, Heero brought his face up to Duo's and captured his lips in a sweet kiss, strengthening the bond that had long time ago begun to form between the two teens.

As their tongues duelled together, the snow outside started falling more and more thickly, erasing any trace of autumn and the fact that there were people in the cabin. Not a sound was heard as the clock ticked closer to midnight, leaving the two teens alone in each other's embrace, letting them be alone and in love.

_Author's Notes: I know, I know. The ending of the last chapter looked like an upcoming for a lemon or lime. Sorry to disappoint you, but personally I think it's too soon for that. I know, I know, we're talking about two normal and healthy teenage boys here, but I'm planning this pretty close and I think that having a round in bed so soon will destroy their relationship. But that's just me. Feel free to think something else. But what do you think about it? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	24. A Night of Thoughts

**New Hope Home**

Hiyo, new chappie. Now, I'm making this on short on purpose, people. I just wanted to summon up just what Heero is thinking about his newfound relationship with Duo and the other way around. I'm not really good with these kinds of things so please bear with the cheesiness of it. A new and longer chapter will be up right after this (promises, promises...).

---

"A Night of Thoughts:"

Heero stirred slightly and lifted his head from the bed as his body, for some strange reason, decided that now seemed like a good time to wake up. Blowing some of Duo's long strands of hair from his face, he lifted his arm so he could check the time in the dim moonlight. The wind had stopped and the snow filled clouds that covered the sky earlier were now gone and a full moon cast its rays over the backyard.

3:52 am.

Sighing, Heero lowered his head back down onto the pillow, wondering why he'd woken up now before he let a little smile play on his lips. Last night had been good.

They'd stayed up for a while, just kissing and talking about small things, and before they'd known it, it was way past midnight. They had shared one last kiss before snuggling together in the bed and falling asleep.

He gently stroked a hand over the T-shirt clad form he was currently holding close to his chest and smiled. He was so lucky to have Duo as his boyfriend. Never in a million years had he believed that he would find anybody that would make him so alive, so happy as Duo did. And although Duo was fun, was a being of movement and light, he was also serious and understood just what Heero needed and meant. He was simply perfect.

Gently nuzzling his face in Duo's soft, thick hair, Heero inhaled the scent that was Duo. It was musky and spicy, yet sweet in a special way.

Holding still as Duo stirred a little, Heero stopped his caress over Duo's ribs and sides and waited until the teen began breathing rhythmically again.

They had been together for a while now -- almost two months. Heero smiled when he thought about it. They'd known each other a little under 5 months and they were already best friends, as well as a couple. There was only one think that was lurking at the back of Heero's brain when he thought about their relationship.

They had told their friend barely days after they decided to give a relationship a try, but there were still a few people that didn't know. His parents.

He knew that his mother wouldn't mind him seeing Duo; she liked him, and as long as Heero was happy, she was happy. His father on the other hand, was not so easy to please. Although he valued his sons happiness, he was very strict about _who_ it was that provided that happiness. And Heero knew that his father would flip the second he learned that it was another boy that brought the smile to his face.

Sighing, he buried his face a little deeper into the silken mass, wondering on how the hell he could break the news to his dad in such a way that both of them came out of it unscathed. His father had never hit him, but Heero feared that if he ever summoned up enough rage, he would explode and do so.

Pulling Duo's body a little closer his, Heero wondered if Duo was created just for him. His back seemed to mould perfectly against his chest. Their hands fitted together perfectly and their mouths matched each other in such a way that Heero believed that they must had been separated at some stage.

They hadn't made love yet; they hadn't reached that stage yet. In fact, they hadn't done anything besides kissing and touching each other a little. Neither had made a move towards each other's groins yet, and Heero believed that they weren't quite ready for it. After all, Duo's first relationship had been a disaster and Heero had never had one. Needless to say that neither teen felt quite ready for that step just yet.

Not that Heero didn't want Duo. In fact, he wanted him very much. He longed to see Duo in all his glory, peeks in the showers just weren't enough, longed to run his fingers over the pale flesh. He longed to have a taste of the sweet skin.

Shaking his head a little, Heero decided to stop his trail of thoughts before something happened under the quilt. He didn't want Duo to wake up and find him with a hard on. Instead, Heero decided to use the time he was awake on something else.

Moving his hand from Duo's side to his hair, he gently ran it through the silken locks. He'd asked for Duo to release it before they went to bed, promising that he would help brush the tangles out in the morning. He didn't think that Duo looked like a girl with his hair down.

Remembering how Duo had described himself as a guy with a slightly feminine appearance, Heero had to chuckle. He didn't think that was true. Yes, Duo had a slim build and he had a very sweet, heart shaped face, but it had never struck Heero that there was anything feminine about him. It was something with his strength and the way Duo was that proved that Duo was anything but a girl. He was a man. Sure, he was gay, but he didn't play on it like other gay people could. He didn't overdo things, didn't try to be something he wasn't, and most certainly didn't try to act feminine like some gay people did. And he most certainly didn't do drag. Duo was simply Duo. He was himself.

Tensing up a little as Duo stirred again, Heero waited patiently until the other teen had settled down. Now he found himself with Duo's arm over his chest and Duo's face buried in his neck. Smiling, Heero wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist and pulled him as close as he dared without waking him.

How on earth had he become so lucky? He'd never had many friends in his life, at least none that had stuck around. The 'Fallen Angels' were the first that really had taken their time to get to know him, just as they let him get to know them. They were all forthright and honest with him. Heero didn't believe that anybody could have better friends than he did. They all had something special that Heero valued. Quatre's honesty and kindness; Trowa's helpfulness; Wufei's determination; and of course, Duo's friendship, liveliness and love.

_Love..._

They hadn't come right out and said those three clichéd words yet, but Heero didn't doubt in his feelings for the braided teen. He knew what he felt was love. He had fallen in love with Duo from the moment he saw him and the crush had blossomed into love. He knew that people older him probably would say that what he felt was nothing more than a teenage crush, but he knew that it was deeper than that. A simple whim or a teenage crush didn't leave you with a sense of completion.

Snorting, Heero closed his eyes, wondering why the heck his situation seemed to be just like the boring love novels that girls seemed to be sucked into. It didn't make much sense, but he didn't fight against it. It was the way he felt.

Yawning, he pulled his boyfriend just a little closer. He wanted him as close as possible. He wanted to wake up spooned against him in the morning. With one last yawn, Heero let sleep claim him and let it carry him into the gently abyss of sleep and dreams.

Only hours later a sneeze came from the chestnut haired teen and he raised his head so he could remove some strands of hair that were tickling his nose. Blinking a little, Duo quietly got out of bed and walked out of the room so he could make a visit to the little "boys'" room.

After doing his thing there, being more than a little annoyed that he'd only gotten out a little tinkle, Duo flushed the toilet and washed his hands before returning to his room with Heero. Scratching his shoulder a little, just over the scar that marked his skin, Duo yawned and slipped under the covers so he could snuggle up against his boyfriend and go back to sleep.

Only problem was... He wasn't all that sleepy anymore.

Groaning, he lifted Heero's left hand so he could check the time in the dim moonlight.

6:46 am.

Yawning, Duo carefully placed Heero's arm down over his own chest before he snuggled closer to his boyfriends warm body. Life was looking good.

He could never thank whatever power that was in charge enough for letting Heero come into his life. The moment he'd thrown his eyes on the stoic teen, Duo had known that he wanted to be a part of his life. Friend, boyfriend, lover, he didn't care. He just wanted to be in his life. There was because there was something about Heero that fascinated him. Another reason was because Heero seemed lost.

Carefully, he moved his head enough so it touched Heero's, Duo closed his eyes while running a finger over the light stubble that now cowered Heero's jaw.

When he'd first met Heero he'd had pure intentions. The guy was new, seemed a little out of place, and Duo wanted to give him a good welcome, hoping that the guy was somewhat open enough to be his friend. Never in a million years had he believed that he would find his best friend and soul mate in Heero Yuy. They were just so different, yet so much alike.

'Ying and Yang,' Duo thought to himself while letting his finger trail over Heero's jaws and throat; over the collarbone and down a muscular arm. It was true. They were just like Ying and Yang. Two opposite that completed each other perfectly. He didn't know which of them was light and which was darkness, but Duo knew that Heero thought that he was his light in the darkness he'd been in.

Blowing his bangs out of his face, Duo continued to explore a little with his fingertips.

They hadn't taken that final step yet and quite frankly, Duo was glad that they were taking things a little slow. Just because they were dating now didn't mean that they had to jump in bed and make the mattress dance; he believed believed it was something sacret - allowing somebody inside of you in every way; body, heart mind and soul. But he also was a little scared.

Snorting, Duo wondered what the others would think if they'd heard his thoughts, but he didn't really care. It was how he felt and he wasn't willing to change it. And it wasn't like he didn't want Heero. On the contrary, he did. But he was scared.

His first, and only, relationship with a guy had gone down the drain and he was a little careful about letting somebody that close again. He loved and trusted Heero, he knew that his boyfriend wouldn't harm him, but he was still scared.

"All in good time," Duo mumbled to himself and snuggled closer to his Japanese boyfriend. And he couldn't help but smile when he heard Heero sigh in his sleep and tighten his grip around the braided teen. He felt safe like this.

Yawning, Duo could feel sleep finally starting to rush over him, making his eyelids heavy. He carefully placed his head on Heero's chest, breathing in the musky, unique smell that was Heero. Feeling his eyelids go heavier by the minute, Duo decided to end this little philosophy session and go back to sleep. After all, they had a whole house to decorate in the morning.

"And I didn't get my cocoa last night," he mumbled, just before falling asleep.

---

_Author's Notes: Well, the thoughts are hereby cleared up. At least a little bit. Hopefully this chapter is acceptable. What do you think about it? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	25. Merry Christmas

**New Hope Home**

Hiyo, new chappie. Sorry that it's taken so long for me to update, but I'm just moved back home, finished school, strated a new job and everything. SO sorry you didn't get to beta this chapter, princess, but I'm just to eager to put itup! I'll send ya the chapter so you can beta it and I can edit this one later, 'kay?

I've put alittle lenght into this chapter and I hope you will enjoy it just as much as you have enjoyed the rest. A little rambling at the beginning, but it'll straighten itself up as the chapter evolve. Anyways, it's Christmas Eve and our boys has quite the day ahead of them. Read and enjoy!

"Merry Christmas"

Heero woke up as the sun decided to cast its rays in the middle of his face and he couldn't help but groan when sitting up in the bed. He was normally a morning person, but today he just wanted to lie back down, snuggle up against Duo's warm body ,and go back to sleep.

Looking down at the peaceful face beside of him, Heero couldn't help but smile. Stroking his finger over his cheek, he bent down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, careful he wouldn't wake him up. Unlike him, Duo was _not_ a morning person.

Silently slipping out of bed, Heero pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt before walking to the bathroom to take a leak.

Flushing the toilet when he was done, he walked over to wash his hands while thinking that it was rather handy to sleep right next to the toilet. He guessed that the walls in the bathroom were just about soundproof so nobody would wake up in the middle of the night because somebody flushed the toilet.

Drying off his hands, Heero figured that he could use a shower. Yesterday's trip in the forest, the tree holding, and dusting off his boyfriend had left him rather dirty and he could see the dust fall from his hair every time he moved his head. He hadn't bothered to shower before going to bed, he had been to tired.

Walking back to his shared room, he found a pair of jeans and a thick, red sweater as well as a fresh pair of boxers. Placing another kiss on Duo's forehead while passing the bed, he smiled and walked back to the bathroom. Closing the door after him, he placed the clothes on a chair next to a closet with towels and stripped out of his clothes before stepping into the shower.

Sighing as the hot water hit his body, Heero ran his hands through his hair, wetting it. He'd really needed this. Making sure his hair was wet; he picked up a random bottle with shampoo and squirted some out into his hand before adding it to his hair.

While rinsing his hair for shampoo, Heero started thinking about how his parents were going to react when he decided to come out of the closet. It was something he'd been thinking about a lot lately. He was sick and tired of hiding Duo from his parents, sick and tired of listening after sounds from his parents when they were making out in his room, sick and tired of lying about going out with him. He just wanted to enjoy Duo's company and not worry about being caught and have to explain himself.

Grabbing a piece of soap, Heero started washing his body while thinking about his boyfriend. Duo was extremely understanding through all this. He was giving him the time and space he needed, being supporting, but honest. Heero knew that the quicker he came out, the better, but he just couldn't help but wait. He wasn't afraid of coming out, he _wanted_ to come out, but he just didn't know how to tell them. He was a man off actions, not of words.

'_Hn. Maybe I should just kiss Duo in front off them? It's leave them with no doubt, that's for sure,_' he thought while rinsing his body of soap before stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel. After quickly drying his hair to get rid of the water, he wrapped it around his waist. Looking at his reflection, he could see that his already messy hair was even messier than normal. He looked like a total idiot. A total idiot with hair standing out in every direction.

Snorting, he grabbed his hairbrush so he could try to tame the mop he called hair. He didn't hear when somebody opened the door.

"Oh, sorry Yuy," he could hear faintly behind him and turned in time to see Wufei close the door.

Snorting, he went back to the task of taming his hair. He wasn't bothered by the fact that Wufei had just walked in on his when he was just standing in the towel. What bothered him the most was the fact that he'd forgotten to lock the door.

After managing to calm down his hair enough for him to look somewhat okay, Heero got dressed and walked down to the kitchen for some breakfast. Knowing that Wufei was awake, he expected him to be in the kitchen already, but that wasn't the case, not that he minded the person who was already in the kitchen.

"Where's Wufei?" he asked while pouring himself a cup of freshly made coffee, undoubtedly made by Wufei.

Quatre smiled and nodded towards the front door. "Outside. He went to gather some firewood."

"Don't we have enough off that on the shelf?"

Quatre nodded and took a sip out his own cup with tea. "We do. But he said he needed a walk anyway."

Snorting, Heero sat down and took a sip from his own mug. "Must be a horrible sight to see me in a towel then." Looking up over the rim of the mug, he could see the confused look Quatre gave him. Shrugging, Heero mumbled before taking a new sip. "I forgot to lock the bathroom door while taking a shower and Wufei walked in on me when I was standing in front of the mirror in a towel."

Quatre laughed and put down his cup. "Well, I won't say anything since I've never seen you in a towel, but I highly doubt that's the reason. He always takes a walk when he's here, to take in the scenario as well as getting some fresh air into his lungs. He just gathers some firewood while walking so he does something useful while admiring the scenario."

Heero smiled over the rim of his cup before taking a new sip. "Guess that's typical Wufei," he murmured. "Doesn't want to waste any time, even if it is to admire nature..."

Quatre laughed again and nodded. "I suppose so."

Studying the blonde over the rim of his cup, Heero noticed that Quatre was behaving just a bit different than usual. The teen was almost glowing. 'Well, I guess that explains the thumping we heard over our heads last night instead it being the wind like we thought it was," he mused to himself before looking at Quatre. "Got some last night?"

Quatre blushed, but the smile never left his face. "I guess you could put it that way..."

Heero snorted, but he still smiled. "I'd say. We could hear it, you know. Something was thumping over our heads last night and if I'm not mistaken, your bedroom is right over the living room. We thought it was the wind, though."

Quatre's blush turned even redder. "Oh, I'm so sorry if we... Well... If..."

Heero chuckled and waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. We didn't listen to the sounds for that long. We barely noticed it."

Quatre smiled mischieviously and teased Heero with his reply after taking a sip of his tea. "So I reckon you and Duo..."

Heero shrugged. "No."

"No?" Quatre raised an eyebrow.

"No. We haven't done it yet. Haven't felt ready for it yet."

"Oh." Quatre looked down into his cup and trailed his finger around the rim of it. "Heero... Have you ever..."

"No."

Quatre looked up, surprised that Heero seem so... calm about his own sexual status. If he'd been asked the same question, he would have blushed like mad. "Okay."

Heero chuckled and placed his cup down onto the table. "I'm not ashamed of it either. Sure, I'm eighteen, almost nineteen and I'm still a virgin, but so what? I haven't felt like sleeping with anyone and I don't want to jump into a bed for a one-night stand either just to get rid of my virginity. I've been fine so far and I might as well save it for the time I feel ready to have sex."

Quatre smiled and relaxed. "Smart move. I was doing the same until I started dating Trowa."

Heero smirked and picked up his cup to drink up the last off the coffee. "Last night was your first time?"

Quatre shook his head and blushed. "No. We... slept together about two months after we started dating. We felt it was long enough and we both wanted so..."

Heero just smiled and got onto his feet so he could place the cup in the sink. "Well, good for you. Don't let me stop your sex-life. As long as I don't have to listen to you."

Snorting over his own boldness, Heero was amazed just how comfortable he felt in the 'Fallen Angels' company. He'd shared more with them than he he'd ever done with his own parents and he wasn't ashamed of telling them anything either. He knew that they accepted him no matter what.

Laughing, Quatre got up before wincing slightly and gently touched his rear end. Heero looked at him and asked. "Are you okay?"

Quatre smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. Just a little sore, that's all." Straightening all the way up, Quatre placed his mug in the sink and stretched a little. "I'll just take a shower and I'll be fine."

Heero nodded and started cleaning out the two cups. "Okay. Want me to set the table for breakfast?"

Quatre shook his head. "Don't bother. Wufei and I have already eaten and only Allah knows when Duo will wake up. You can make yourself something to eat instead." Smiling, Quatre left the kitchen so he could take his much-needed shower.

Heero just shrugged and made himself some breakfast, wishing that he'd had some company while eating.

"Hey, can ya hand me that blue box with the orbs in it? Yeah, that one. Thanks." Taking the box from his Japanese boyfriend, Duo walked back to decorating the Christmas tree.

They'd already hung the lights around the tree as well as some strings with popcorn, but they still needed to do the final touches. So Quatre had set Duo, who was the artistic and creative guy among them, to decorate the tree along with Heero, who was currently just passing stuff to Duo, while the rest decorated the house. They'd decided not to overdo things since it would take too long to take everything down again when they left, but they still wanted to decorate a little.

Quatre had set Trowa, as he was the tallest one, to hang up mistletoe wherever he saw fit while Wufei was busy hanging up light-up decorations in the windows. Quatre was leading the work while putting out small figures of snowmen, Santa and angels everywhere.

"Do we have any snow spray so we can decorate the windows?" Duo asked while hanging the ornaments onto the trees.

"I think we have a spray can or two in the box. And we still have the stencils we use to make them if I'm not mistaken." Quatre replied while placing a little snowman on the living room table.

"Want me to look for it?" Heero asked while handing Duo another box with six ornaments in it.

Quatre nodded. "If you could be so kind and do so, Heero."

Heero just nodded and got to his feet. He was tired of just sitting and handing Duo stuff, even if it did give him the perfect opportunity to ogle at the other's ass. He too wanted to do something to help decorate the house.

Looking into the box, Heero quickly found two cans of snow spray and the stencils they used for the decoration. "Got them," he called out and went back to the others.

Quatre smiled and nodded towards the window. "Then how about you decorate the windows? Or do you want to help Duo some more?"

Heero snorted a little and gave Duo a little smile. "I don't mind helping him, but I think I'll do the windows."

Duo put on a pout and sniffed. "Aw, so you don't wanna help me anymore?"

Heero walked over to the braided teen and gave his ear a little nip. "On the contrary, I would love to help you some more, but I think you have everything under control. I'll go and make myself helpful by doing something else."

Duo just snickered while returning to his ornaments while Wufei let out a "Get a room" before hanging up the last of the light-decorations. "Well, I'm done. Is there anything else that needs to be done?" Wufei said when he was done and placed his hands on his hips.

Quatre looked around and shook his head, smiling widely. "No, everything looks great."

Wufei rolled his eyes, but everybody could still see a little hint of a smile playing on his lips. "I still think we've overdone it a little," he replied and slumped onto the couch. "I mean, it's not like we're drowning in decorations like we did last year, but is it really necessary to decorate every part of the house? That fat Santa thing on the bathroom is giving me the creeps. I'm almost afraid of taking a leak every time I'm there."

Duo grinned and hung up the last ornament. "Aw, is the big Wufei afraid of Santa Claus?"

Wufei glared at the braided teen. "I am not afraid of Santa, Maxwell. I just don't like that thing that's occupying the bathroom!"

Duo snickered and started humming. "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake..."

Wufei groaned. "That has to be one of the most disturbing Christmas songs I've ever heard."

Duo grinned and continued. "He's drooling when you're changing, lock your door for goodness sakes..."

Wufei just glared and huffed, leaving Duo to finish his snickering. Heero just shook his head and carefully started spraying the windows. "Duo, behave..."

"Ain't I always?" Duo grinned before stepping back to examine the tree, hands on his hips. "All done! What do ya guys think?"

Quatre smiled widely and clapped his hands. "Oh, it's wonderful! Perfectly decorated!"

Duo grinned and gave Quatre the thumbs-up. "Can I decorate a Christmas tree or what?"

Wufei snorted and looked away from the braided teen. "And that's basically all you know."

Duo stuck out his tongue and smirked. "Come on, Wuffei, you know you love me."

Wufei groaned and got onto his feet. "I'll leave that to Yuy. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to use the facilities."

Duo watched as Wufei walked past him and yelled. "Ya can't run away from the truth, Wufei! One day you'll wake up and realise that you care for me! Just you wait!"

Heero chuckled and shook his head. Duo was acting stupid, but he had to give him credit for being persistent. Not a day went by without Duo trying to make Wufei smile. At it did work to a certain degree, Wufei did found Duo amusing, even though he would rather rip out his own toenails before admitting it. But Heero knew. He'd seen the smile Wufei had desperately been trying to hide during Duo's dinner-jokes last night.

Finishing up the windows in the living room, Heero studied his handiwork.

"Hey, not bad, lover." Duo approached him from behind and gently wrapped his arms around Heero's neck. "Not bad at all for someone who's never decorated windows before."

Heero smirked. "Can I decorate windows or what?"

Duo stuck out his tongue and grinned. "Hey, that's my line!"

Heero just smirked and turned his head to place a quick kiss on Duo's lips. "I don't see your name on it."

Duo grinned and placed a quick kiss on the tip of Heero's nose. "I'll get the trademark for it later." Looking up, Duo studied the living room. "Well, the decorations are complete and it only took us two hours." Grinning, he looked at Quatre. "Shall we say it's decorated enough?"

Quatre nodded and smiled. "I think it's nice as it is. We don't have to decorate the other windows. I think that'll be too much."

Duo nodded. "Yeah, and it's such a bitch to get off too."

Trowa shrugged and walked over to wrap his arms around Quatre's waist. "It's pretty to look at, though..."

Heero nodded and turned so he could wrap his own arm around Duo's waist. "That it is."

Quatre smiled and nodded towards the stairs. "Shall we get the presents and put them under the tree?"

Duo grinned and nodded. "Yeah! Let's do that."

Quatre gave him a strict look and wagged his finger in the air. "No peeking or trying shaking presents to figure out what they are, okay?"

Duo gave him his most innocent look and bashed his eyelashes. "Come on, would I do that?"

Quatre sighed and gave him a weak smile. "Actually, you would. You did it last year."

"And the year before that," Trowa helpfully pointed out.

Duo frowned at the banged teen. "How come you always remember stuff like that? You always remember useless shit like when I sneak a peak at the presents or the one time I hid Wufei's Dao 1, but always forget your keys and stuff."

Trowa just shrugged and hugged Quatre closer to his chest.

Heero cleared his throat. "Why don't we just get the presents, shall we?"

Duo nodded and released himself from Heero's embrace after giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Sounds good to me. And after that we can make cocoa!"

Quatre sighed. "You won't stop before you get that cocoa, won't you?"

Duo grinned and winked. "Damned straight I won't!"

Heero just smirked and started to walk up to the second floor. "But you aren't straight now, are you?"

Duo raised and eyebrow and smiled slyly. "Neither are you, buddy-boy."

Heero shrugged. "Have I said anything against it?"

Duo stuck out his tongue. "You happen to have the cheesiest sense of humour ever."

Heero's smirk just turned slyer. "At least I have a sense of humour. Learn to appreciate it."

Duo ran up to his boyfriends side and tweaked his nose with a little smirk of his own. "And I do. I appreciate you and your sense of cheesy humour very much."

Heero smirked back and leaned in for a kiss, only to be interrupted by Wufei's slightly annoyed voice. "Excuse me, but people are trying to get down here. Move!"

"Bomb's away!"

Heero ducked, thanks to the warning his boyfriend yelled out, as another snowball was flung in his direction.

"No fair, stop warning him," Quatre pouted and crossed his arms.

Duo grinned and waved a glove-covered hand in Quatre's direction. "Fair's fair. You warn Trowa all the time."

Wufei snorted and started making another snowball. "I thought we had no teams. Everyone against everyone."

"And all for one and one for all," Duo added with a little smirk and pulled his cap a little further down over his eyes.

Heero rolled his eyes and tightened the scarf he had around his neck. How Duo had managed to convince everybody to have a snowball fight was beyond him, but he'd done it. Even Wufei had pulled on an extra sweater with a little smile to join the fight. Not that it wasn't fun, because it was, but it was still rather amazing.

Quatre raised his hands and started to blow warm air onto them to heat them up. "It's starting to get a little chilly now. Can't we go inside?"

Duo pouted. "What? Already? But we haven't even built a snowman yet!"

Quatre gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I'm freezing. I'll go inside and start up our Christmas dinner. You can be here for a little while longer if you want."

Trowa shrugged and nodded towards the house. "I'll go with you. You'll need a hand."

Quatre smiled and hugged his boyfriend. "Thank you, Trowa. Anybody else that wanna join me?"

Heero shook his head and smiled. "Nah, I can survive out here a little longer. And it's my responsibility to keep Duo occupied."

Duo grinned and danced over to hug his boyfriend. "Damn straight you are."

Quatre looked over at Wufei. "How about you? Wanna come inside and help us out with the meal?"

Wufei shook his head and nodded towards Heero and Duo. "I'll stay with them for a little while longer. Even if it is Yuy's responsibility to take care of Duo's happiness, I still see it as my responsibility to make sure that those two don't lie down on the ground and start making out. They'll catch a cold if they do."

Duo flattered his lashes towards the Chinese and grinned. "Aww, are you worried about us, Wuffie?"

Wufei snorted. "No, I'm worried about those god damned hormones off yours. Get your paws off each other so we can build this god damned snowman of yours."

Heero raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Nobody's forcing you to be here, Wufei."

Wufei smirked back. "I know."

Patting Wufei's shoulder, Heero walked over to Duo who was already busy with rolling a snowball into a suitable size. "Don't make it too big or we'll have problems lifting it up."

Duo smirked and patted some snow around the big ball to keep it in place. "Hey, don't worry. The three off us should be able to lift any kind of snowball, no matter the size."

Heero just shook his head and started helping Duo make the middle part while Wufei started with the head.

Twenty minutes later the snowman was built up and the balls were stacked and secured. Duo had run inside to get a carrot, some coal, a hat and a scarf to decorate the creation, leaving Heero and Wufei alone in the slowly darkening backyard, sitting on the porch.

Heero looked up at the darkening sky, waiting for Duo in silence when a voice broke the silence.

"What do you feel for him?"

"Huh?" Heero turned and looked at Wufei, who in return was looking up at the sky.

"What do you feel for him?" he repeated calmly.

Heero stared down at the snow and started thinking. He knew what he felt for Duo, but if he was ready to put words to those feelings... that he didn't know. "Wufei..."

Wufei finally lowered his head and looked at the Japanese teen, seriousness written across his face. "Listen, Heero... I'm not trying to threaten you or anything here. I just wanna know what you feel about Duo."

Looking back up at the sky, Wufei continued. "Duo's strong, we all know that. His strength is admirable, but he's fragile too. He still is scared about being in a relationship--at least a serious one. And this is definitely serious on his side. You have no idea how big of a step this is for him."

Heero turned his head and looked at Wufei. "Wufei... If you are implying that I'm gonna hurt him in any way..."

Wufei raised his hand and silenced him. "I'm not. I know you won't hurt him. You care too much for him as a friend and as your boyfriend."

Heero snorted and looked away. "What made you bring this up?"

Wufei shrugged. "Because Duo is a good friend, despite the fact that we yell and argue all the time." Fixing jet black eyes in Heero's direction, he murmured softly. "I wish to protect him from people that can crush his heart again, but I know that you're not one of those people. You could never hurt Duo, at least not intentionally."

Heero looked at his hands, clenching and un-clenching them so he could circulate the blood into his fingers. "You make it sound like it's happened many times."

Wufei bit his lip. "It has..."

Heero snapped his head up. "What? He's only told me about-!"

Wufei raised his hand, once again silencing Heero. "About Peter. I know that. And don't worry, he hasn't lied to you. Peter was his first and he was the only guy he's ever slept with. Doesn't mean he hasn't been in shitty relationships after that."

Heero lowered his gaze again. "I suppose not..."

Wufei cleared his throat. "He got together with a guy a few months after Peter. He seemed like a decent enough guy. Hilde introduced them since he was the brother of a good friend of hers. They hooked up, had fun and it seemed like they were, in general, happy together. Duo was smiling, at least."

Heero started at the snow. "I hear a 'but' in that sentence."

Wufei nodded. "And there is one. The guy Duo dated, I think his name was Robert or something, he got a little aggressive. Duo didn't want to sleep with him, kept telling him he wasn't ready for it, and the guy just snapped. He didn't hit him, but started yelling and calling him names. Duo didn't take it well, but he didn't back away from it either."

Smiling a little, Wufei continued. "It was during that time when Duo was building up his self-esteem and he wasn't gonna stand back and take type of crap from just anybody. So the second Robert was done with his speech, Duo used that damn impressive vocabulary of his and orally kicked his ass."

Heero smiled and snorted. "That sounds like Duo."

Wufei nodded. "We were damned proud of him. He was a little down afterwards, but he quickly shook it of and got back to his feet."

Heero smiled a little wider and looked over at Wufei again. "I can imagine you were. He is strong."

Wufei nodded and smiled. "That he is."

"Hey, what are ya talking about?"

Turning, Heero spotted a smiling Duo coming towards them, a hat on his head and an extra scarf around his neck. He was carrying a carrot and a bag with coal.

Heero smiled and got onto his feet. "We were talking about you."

Duo smirked and stopped right in front of the two Asian teens. "Hope you were saying good things."

Wufei smirked and got onto his feet as well. Walking over to Duo, he snatched the carrot away and walked over to the snowman to stick it in the middle of was going to be a face. "Naturally. We are nice guys."

Duo snorted and grinned. "Yeah, right," he murmured and joined Wufei by the snowman, quickly followed by Heero. The three teens finished the snowman in silence before returning inside to join Trowa and Quatre at the kitchen.

The cooking went without any serious damage, the only episode being when Quatre burned his hand on a pot full ofat was boiling water for the potatoes. Trowa reacted quickly and got his little lover to the sink and put his hand under hot water. Duo protested against that, claiming that cold water was better for burns, but to his surprise, and Wufei's amusement, it worked. 2

The meal passed in comfortable companionship. It wasn't like the Christmas meal you would get at home, all ready with turkey, mashed potatoes, pudding and gravy; the five teens simply didn't have the knowledge nor the patience to cook up something like that, but it was still enjoyable. They had managed to make the turkey, but the stuffing had gone down the drain after the little incident with Quatre's hand. Everybody was occupied with helping their blonde friend the best they could, completely forgetting about the pot that was happily boiling on the stove. The gravy had survived, if not a little burned, as well as the potatoes so they didn't mind that they didn't have stuffing.

When the meal was finishedsed, Heero and Duo cleaned the table while Quatre finally started making the cocoa Duo had been waiting for. Trowa had found an apple pie in the fridge and had popped it into the microwave so they could serve it warm along with a scoop of ice cream. Wufei had wandered into the living room so when the four other teens appeared, carrying a plate with steaming warm apple pie and a cup with cocoa each, the fire-place was lit, casting a warm, yellow colour over the slightly dark room. Wufei was sitting in front of the fireplace, making sure that the flames got a good grip on the wood so it wouldn't die.

Quatre smiled and placed the plate and the cup he was carrying in front of the Chinese. "Here, Wufei."

Wufei looked up and smiled. "Thank you."

Duo dumped onto the couch, spilling a little of the quickly melting ice cream onto his pants and sighed. "This is great... So peaceful..."

Heero sat down next to his boyfriend and nodded. "Yeah..."

Trowa lowered himself in the other loveseat next to the couch Heero and Duo was sitting on and started eating his pie. Quatre came back moments later, carrying his own plate and cup. Sitting down next to Trowa, he snuggled closer and smiled.

Wufei got onto his feet and put himself on the chair next to the couch, carrying the plate and the cup with him. Leaning back into the chair, he turned his head and gazed out the window. "It looks like it's gonna be a nice day tomorrow."

Duo turned his head and smiled. "Hey, yeah... Maybe we can go out skiing tomorrow!"

Quatre smiled and nodded. "Oh, that would be so much fun! And we can prepare some food so we can have lunch outside. We have plenty of leftovers from today's dinner that we can heat up tomorrow."

Duo grinned. "That sounds great!"

Heero smiled and finished his slice of pie before setting the empty plate on the table. Picking up his cup, he gently blew on the hot liquid to cool it down a little. "It does sound like fun."

Quatre smiled. "I'm sure it will. And don't worry about shoes, skises and stuff like that. We have skis and shoes in all sizes."

Heero chuckled and nodded. "I know. Duo's already told me about it. He used it as bait to tempt me to join you."

Duo grinned and leaned over to kiss Heero's cheek. "It worked, didn't it?" He mused and gave Heero's ear a little nip. Heero just groaned in response.

Wufei rolled his eyes and glanced over at the large grandfather clock. "It's almost half past eleven," he mumbled and got up from the chair, bringing the plate and the half empty mug with him to the kitchen. When he appeared again, he waved to the others. "I'll be going to bed now. You have a nice evening."

Duo started after him. "Don't you wanna spend the evening with us, Wufei? I mean, it's such a lovely night and all."

Wufei smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about me, Maxwell. I'll survive."

Duo continued to stare. "But..."

Wufei continued to smile that little smile of his. "This is a night for lovers and couples. And since I'm not buying into that kind of stuff, I'm going to bed. Besides, I might get a call tonight."

Duo smiled again and winked. "Meilan promised to call, eh?"

Wufei nodded. "Yes. So I bid you all good night. Enjoy yourself." The he disappeared up the stairs and down the hall, his footsteps slowly fading away.

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Meilan?"

Duo smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Meilan. Wufei's ex. She always calls the night before Christmas. It's a little tradition they have."

"Tradition?"

Quatre nodded. "Yes. Meilan could never accompany us up to the mountain when we went up here to celebrate. So she called Wufei instead, wishing him a happy Christmas. She's done it ever since she moved back to China."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that expensive? And what about the time differences?"

Quatre chuckled. "Meilan is the grandaughter of Ron Shirin, a great man in China and the heir to a clan called the Dragon clan. If somebody has money, it's them. And as for the time-differences..."

Trowa shrugged and put his plate down on the table along with his now empty mug before pulling Quatre onto his lap. "It's about a fourteen hour difference so if she calls him now, it'll be about half past seven in China. And she's normally up around that time so..."

Heero nodded. "I see."

Duo smiled and leaned back into the couch. "It's so cute... He and Meilan still keep in touch this way... We all know that he misses her, but the kind of bond they have... That kind of respect... It's difficult to get that..." Chuckling a little, Duo closed his eyes. "And to think that they didn't like each other when they first met."

Heero chuckled. "Really?"

Duo nodded. "Yup. They're both black belts in karate and they met each other in battle one day. They both were bragging about how they were the best and stuff and their sensei told them to battle. Wufei won, of course, but he got some sort of weird respect for her. So he asked her out to discuss some moves and before you even knew it, they were dating."

Heero snorted and murmured dryly. "How romantic."

Duo laughed. "Like our first 'romantic' encounter was any better. We were both drunk."

Heero raised a finger. "Tipsy."

Duo chuckled. "Whatever."

Heero shrugged. "It still worked out, didn't it?"

Duo smiled and crawled a little closer to his boyfriend. "That it did..."

Heero smiled and put down his mug in favor of having his boyfriend on his lap. Heero placed his hands on Duo's thighs and stared him deep in the eyes. "And I'm glad it did..."

Quatre chuckled and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, lovebirds, but are you done?"

Duo grinned and stuck out his tongue at the blonde. "Hey, like you two're any better. We heard you upstairs last night. You disturbed our make-out."

Quatre blushed and looked down. "Sorry about that."

Trowa blushed too and got up, pulling the little blonde up with him. "I think I'll be going to bed now."

Duo looked at them. "Hope I didn't say anything to embarrass you. You know I was just joking, right?"

Trowa and Quatre nodded before Quatre flashed them a smile. "Don't worry about it, Duo,. No offence is taken."

Duo smiled. "Good. Well, good night, I guess. And do take it easy."

Quatre laughed a little. "We will. Good night, you two." Fixing his aqua-coloured eyes on Heero's Prussian blue ones, Quatre added strictly. "I'm leaving you in charge of Duo now. Make sure he doesn't peak at the presents under the tree."

Heero smirked and turned to face Duo. "Oh, I think I can make sure he's occupied."

Quatre laughed softly and dragged Trowa up the stairs. "Then I'll trust you on the case. Good night!"

Duo and Heero just laughed before wishing them good night back. Silence filled the room and, once again, they were alone. Duo smiled. "Seems like we're alone again. What a boring bunch of friends we have."

Heero smirked and curled his hands around Duo's waist. "I happen to like them. They give us a lot of time together..."

Duo smiled and wrapped his arms around Heero's neck. "So, you're in charge of leaving me occupied. Got any plans?"

Heero smirked and leaned close to Duo's, so close that their breaths started to mingle. "I have a few ideas..."

Duo grinned. "Oh, really now? It better not be any bad ideas, you do know that Santa doesn't visit bad children."

Heero smirked and fixed his gaze on Duo's soft, rosy-red, jucy lips while pulling Duo's body closer to his. "Well, I guess I'm off Santa's good boy list then..."

Duo chuckled and gently started twirling one of Heero's soft strands of hair around his finger. "Such a naughty boy now, aren't you?"

Heero smirked and trailed his hands over Duo's ribs. Then his eyes shifted from a mischievous gimmer to a softer glow. "You're so beautiful..."

Duo blushed, but still chuckled. "Well, that came totally out of the blue..."

Heero chuckled and smiled. "Well, you are... Beautiful, that is... You really are a sight for the eyes..."

Duo smiled softly and placed a tender kiss on Heero's nose. "Thanks, Hee-chan..."

Heero smiled and closed the last few inches that separated them, intending to bring their lips together in a soft kiss, when the grandfather clock struck twelve, making them both jump a little.

Duo laughed and tightened his grip around Heero's neck. "It's midnight, Heero..."

Heero nodded. "It is..."

Duo's smile widened a little as he shifted his hands to place them on Heero's face instead, bringing his face closer to his. "Merry Christmas, Heero..."

Heero smiled and closed the gap between them, whispering softly just before their lips met. "Merry Christmas, Duo..."

Their lips were brought together and a sweet kiss was shared, much like the kiss they'd shared the night before. When they broke for air, Heero placed a tiny kiss in Duo's nose before moving his lips to Duo's neck, attacking it with soft kisses.

"Heero..."

"Hmm?" he mumbled while looking up, still teasing Duo's neck.

The braided teen grinned, a mischievous look sparkling in his eyes. "It's technically Christmas now... Can I sneak a peak at the presents?"

A long silence occured.

"No."

_Author's Notes: 1 Contrary to what some people believe, Wufei does NOT swing a katana in Gundam Wing. A katana is used by Japanese samurai's, not by Chinese. Wufei's sword is a double-edged Dao, a traditional Chinese sword._

_2Contrary to belief, having your hand under hot water when you've burned yourself is much better than having it under cold water. It hurts like a bitch, but when you pull your hand back after a little while it has stopped burning. Even if you don't believe me, I don't recommend you to go and burn yourself, just to try the method out._

_Finally! The new chapter is done! Well, what do you think about it? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	26. Presents

New Hope Home

Hiyo, new chappie. Okay, okay, I know, I know, I'm very slow. My sincerest apology. Anyway, it's Christmas and you know what that means? PRESENTS! Read and enjoy!

Also, I would like to thank you for reviewing to this story. I've just reached 500 reviews and that's tons more than I dared to hope for. I thought that I would be lucky to reach a 100 or something. I would love to write to everybody that's reviewed to New Hope Home, but I don't have the time or access to do it, butI hope that my eternal gratefulness will reach you all! I hope that everybody will comtinue to read, review and enjoy New hope Home. Once again, thank you so much! hugs and cookies to you all!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Presents"

When Heero woke up the next morning, the spot next to him was empty. A little puzzled by the fact that Duo was up before him, Heero yawned and scratched his shoulder. Then he remembered.

It was Christmas.

Chuckling slightly, Heero reached out of the bed to pick up his pants when a soft knock was heard on the door. "Hai?"

The door swung open and Duo's smiling face appeared. "Hiya. Was just checking if you were awake yet."

Heero chuckled and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "And so you knock? This is your room too, you know."

"I know," Duo chirped and bounced into the room, hiding his hands behind his back. "But ya looked so peaceful when you were asleep so I didn't want to wake you."

Heero smiled and picked up his pants and pulled them on, not questioning the fact that his boyfriend looked so secretive. "How thoughtful of you." Smiling gently, he patted the seat next to him, motioning for Duo to have a seat. Duo happily obeyed and sat down. "So... What time is it? And who's awake?"

Duo checked his watch and smiled, still hiding one hand behind his back. "Almost ten. I've been up since nine, though. Wufei was up when I came down and I met Trowa in the hall when I came up here about five minutes ago. Think he was going to take a shower or somethin', he had a towel with him at the time."

Heero nodded. "I see." He continued to look at his boyfriend, a little puzzled about the huge grin that was covering his face. He looked like he was hiding the biggest secret in the world and was enjoying every moment of it. At the end, Heero's almost non-existent curiosity got the best of him. "Okay, Duo... What are you hiding?"

Duo grinned and bounced a little on the bed. "What makes you say that I'm hiding something?"

Heero sighed and nodded towards the hand Duo was trying to hide. "Well, the hand behind your back is a big lead. Not to mention that you're grinning like an idiot and bouncing on our bed like a six year old on a sugar high." Raising an eyebrow, Heero asked carefully. "You didn't eat anything containing sugar this morning, did you?"

Duo laughed and stopped bouncing. "Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh? And don't worry, I'm haven't eaten anything with sugar in or on it. I'm just a little exited."

Heero smiled and crossed his arms over his still bare chest. "Excited about what?"

Duo's grin softened a little, leaving a very sweet smile. "Well... It's Christmas and... I got you a present..." Blushing a little, Duo handed over the present and chuckled. "Damn, listen to me... I sound like a damn kid."

Heero only chuckled and accepted the gift. Leaning over, he placed a soft kiss on Duo's lips, letting ti linger for a few of seconds. When the kiss broke, Heero smiled tenderly. "Thank you, Duo... You know you didn't have to buy me anything..."

Duo smiled and nodded. "I know I didn't hafta. But I wanted to."

Heero gave him a affectionate smile before letting his eyes fall to the gift in his hands. It was square, about the size of a book, but it felt heavier. Attached to the red ribbon and bow that was wrapped around the sparkly wrappings was another little gift and an envelope. The smaller present was also square and about the size of a box. A jewellery box. "Duo..." He whispered, hoping that his braided boyfriend hadn't blown his already tight budget on him.

Duo smiled softly and fiddled with the end of his braid. "Don't worry, I know what you're thinkin'. I didn't ruin myself on your present. I've given something of equal value to everybody, but I wanted to give you something extra." Duo looked down and let his bangs cover his face, but Heero could still see the faint hint of red underneath the chestnut bangs.

Heero slowly removed the ribbons and the bow before picking up the envelope. Opening it carefully, he fished out a piece of neatly folded paper. Chuckling slightly, he unfolded it. "Did you write me a love letter?"

"Not exactly," came the quiet reply. Duo sounded almost... nervous?

Heero raised an eyebrow and opened the last fold. And stared. "When did you-?"

It was a drawing of him. He was sitting outside under a tree, a book on his lap and a content smile on his face. His eyes were halfway closed, his bangs were lifted from an invisible breeze and he was relaxed. It wasn't coloured, but it was neatly shaded and looked simply beautiful.

Heero looked up and stared at Duo. "When did you draw this?"

Duo peeked up and a faint hint of a blush lingered over his cheeks. "I drew it by free-hand. Only using a photo and my memory. I think I managed it fairly well. Not too happy about the nose I gave you, though, but I just couldn't make it better."

Heero looked back down onto the paper and stared at the nose Duo was complaining about. His nose. "I... I can't find anything wrong with it."

Duo chuckled and pointed at the nose. "It's a little to pointy. And it's a little big. You got a cute nose," he grinned and moved his hand to tweak Heero's nose.

Heero snorted and wiggled his nose. Then he smiled and tweaked Duo's nose back. "Baka. I think the drawing's lovely. I wish I could draw something like that."

Duo's cheeks flushed up again and Heero couldn't help but smile. Leaning over, he placed his hand against Duo's neck, pulled him towards him and captured his lips in a soft kiss. His tongue slipped out and was greeted with Duo's open mouth. Exploring the now familiar territory, Heero deepened the kiss a bit more before breaking it. "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely, staring deep into Duo's eyes.

Duo smiled softly and pointed at the rest of the gifts. "You haven't opened the rest yet."

Heero smiled and returned his attention back to the presents in his hands. Deciding to open the little, square box first, he ripped away the paper and was left with the box in his hand. A little, black jewellery box. "Duo," he warned and looked up at his boyfriend.

Duo smiled. "'sokay, Hee-chan."

Heero still wasn't sure, but he still opened the box. When the contents of the box was revealed, he gasped. "Duo... Don't tell me..." Inside the box was a shiny, golden cross, placed neatly on a little, black pillow. Grasping the chain it was attached to, Heero stared at it. "Duo..."

Duo snickered and yanked up his own cross. "Don't worry, I didn't give away mine. And I didn't ruin myself on it either. It belonged to my mother."

Heero stared at Duo. "Your mother? But Duo..."

Duo smiled and silenced Heero with a finger. "I told you, it's okay. Yes, belong to my mother. She had two."

"Two?"

Duo nodded and smiled. "Two. The one I'm wearing has been passed down through my family for years, there's no way I'd give that away. The one I gave you was a gift to her from my father." Nodding towards the cross, he added softly. "My mum was a catholic and she loved crosses... A cross was the greatest gift she could get and that's why my dad gave her one. He wanted her to have the best. It was given out of love and that's kinda why I'm passing it on to you. Because I like you... Even-" Struggling a little with the words, Duo blushed and looked down onto his hands.

Heero smiled and opened the chain. Placing it around his neck, he fastened it again and straightened it up. Chuckling, Heero spoke softly. "My parents are gonna freak when they see me come home with a cross. My father freaked out when I told him I didn't believe in Buddhism."

Duo raised an eyebrow and looked back up. "So you ain't a Buddhist?"

Heero shook his head. "No. My family is Buddhist, but we don't really follow the traditions. My father just wants me to be one. I refused since I don't really believe in religion."

Duo snickered. "Pray that Wuffie didn't hear ya now. He'd cut you in half with his Dao."

Heero chuckled and pulled Duo closer to him. "Thank you..." he murmured before placing a very light kiss on Duo's nose.

Duo chuckled and lifted up the last present. "You still have one left."

Heero nodded and took the present from Duo's hand. Ripping of the paper, he revealed, as he'd suspected, a book. "_"Angels and Demons"?_"

Duo nodded. "Yeah, it's supposed to be great book. It's by that Brown guy, yanno, the one who wrote _"The DaVinci Code"._"

"Dan Brown," Heero corrected before staring down at the book again. "Thank you, Duo, I... It's great, but... I haven't read _"The DaVinci Code"_ yet so I have to save this until I get it."

Duo grinned and tapped on the cover. "Nope. This ain't the sequel like many people think. It's actually the first. _"The DaVinci Code"_ was written after this sucker. So ya can read it whenever ya feel like it." Giving Heero a shy look, he asked carefully. "So... Did ya like it?"

Heero smiled and placed the book on the bed next to him. Wrapping a pair of strong arms around Duo's waist, he pulled him onto his lap, ignoring the fact that the wrappings and ribbons were still there. "I loved it..." he murmured and stared deep into cobalt eyes. "Thank you..."

Duo smiled and wrapped his own arms around Heero's neck. "You're very welcome..."

Heero smiled and leaned in for a kiss, only to have Duo's finger pressed against his lips. "Ah, ah," the braided teen teased and smirked. "As much as I would love to get all cuddly and kissy right now, we're late for breakfast. Besides, we've got presents to unwrap!"

Heero sighed, halfway in disappointment, halfway in amusement over his braided boyfriend and shrugged. "I suppose so..." Then he smiled again and stole a kiss from Duo anyway. "I need all the energy I can get if I'm gonna keep up with you... And if I'm not mistaken, there's a gift under the Christmas tree from me, with your name on it."

Duo grinned and jumped down from Heero's lap. "Well, what are we waiting for!" he exclaimed and reached out a hand for Heero.

Heero snickered and got up from the bed, ignoring the hand that was held out to him. Grabbing a T-shirt, he pulled it over his head and turned to face Duo. "Well... Let's go then..." he murmured and grasped Duo's hand, entwining their fingers together.

Duo smiled and dragged Heero out of the room and down to the kitchen where they were greeted by the rest.

"Took you long enough," Quatre mused over a cup with tea.

Duo stuck out his tongue and grinned. "And the problem is?"

Quatre chuckled and put his cup down. "I have no problem with it."

Duo shrugged and poured himself a cup with coffee. "So why are you complaining?"

Quatre blushed and looked down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude or complain, it's just-"

Duo sighed and walked over to Quatre. Placing his hand over Quatre's mouth, silencing the blonde easily, he stated. "Quat, I was only kiddin'. You didn't complain so shush. Capiche?"

Quatre nodded and Duo removed his hand, took a sip from his coffee cup and moved to sit down next to a snickering Wufei. Heero just shook his head and poured himself his own cup of coffee.

Five minutes later Trowa came down, fresh out of the shower and sat down next to Quatre. Duo grinned and drank up rest of his coffee. "Well, everybody's here now, Shall we get down to business?"

Quatre looked at the others. "Shouldn't we get something to eat? I mean, Heero's just got up and I'm sure he's hungry."

Heero shook his head and smiled. "I'm fine. I'm not really fond of breakfast."

Quatre stared at him. "But Heero! Breakfast is one of the most important meals and if you don't eat breakfast, you can't possible get all the energy you need for a good start of the day and-"

Heero lifted his hand and sighed. "Quatre. I know. But with all due respect, I don't care."

Quatre shut up and looked down, but Heero could see that he wasn't gonna give this one up.

Duo bounced up from his chair and grabbed Wufei's hand. "Well, come on! I wanna open the presents! And I wanna give you your presents!" Dragging the Chinese out of the kitchen, and getting more than a few curses out off him in Mandarin, Duo started singing a random Christmas song as he headed for the living room.

/Gifts I'm preparin'

For some Christmas sharin'

But I pause because

Hangin' my stockin'

I can hear a knockin'

'Zat you, Santa Claus/

Heero chuckled and followed his boyfriend into the living room. The tree had already been lit and the presents under the tree were untouched, with the exception of the gift Duo had given him earlier. Making sure that the cross was still hanging straight, Heero placed himself in a chair, watching as Quatre and Trowa made themselves comfortable on the couch.

Duo was already seated in front of the Christmas tree, bouncing like a little kid while Wufei had finally escaped his clutches and was settling down next to Trowa and Quatre. "You're worst than a kid, Maxwell!"

Duo stuff out his tongue at the Chinese and grinned. "Sue me."

Wufei mumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms while leaning back against the couch. He simply refused to be involved in Duo's little chatter game, he always lost. Quatre laughed and smiled. "How about we start on the presents?"

Heero nodded and Wufei just shrugged. Trowa nodded as well while Duo almost snapped his head off by the force of his nods. Quatre smiled. "Well, then. Duo can you read the tags on the gifts and hand them out?"

Duo grinned and nodded. "Sure thing, Quat!" Picking up a little box, wrapped in sparkling, blue paper, Duo scanned the label and grinned. "And the first prize goes to Trowa!" Tossing the present over to the Latino teen, he winked. "It's from your beloved Quatre."

Trowa smiled to Quatre and started ribbing up the paper. Revealing the box's surface, Trowa opened it and gasped. "Quatre... Quatre, this is..." Dipping his fingers into the jewellery box, Trowa fished out a Baume & Mercier Hampton Milleis Men's steel watch. The band was in black leather while the watch itself was brushed steel, square in shape. It was both simple and elegant. "This is just too much, Quatre..."

Quatre smiled and blushed a little. "I just wanted to give you a little extra, Trowa and... Well, you do need a new watch..." Looking up at his lover, Quatre asked carefully. "Didn't you like it? I can switch it to another brand if you want to and-"

Trowa quickly fastened the watch to his wrist and silenced the blonde with a swift kiss. When the pulled back, he murmured quietly. "Thank you, Quatre... I loved it..."

Duo snickered as Quatre blushed and picked up another present. "Okay, okay, you two. That's enough now. We still have a mile to go!"

Quatre and Trowa nodded and snuggled up together while Duo continued to read the labels and hand out the presents. Half an hour later, the pile of gifts under the tree was gone and everybody was busy admiring their new things.

Heero was scanning the cover of _"The DaVinchi Code"_, still not sure if he was supposed to read this first or _"Angels and Demons"_. Beside him on the couch was a box with a new pair of black and white sneakers from his parents plus a envelope with some money, something that had surprised Heero very much since he and his family didn't celebrate Christmas, but he suspected that it was from his mother. He'd gotten a book about karate from Wufei, _"The DaVinchi Code"_ from Trowa and a gift card for a book-shop from Quatre. Hilde had given him a box with condoms and some lube with a little note that promised a painful death if he ever hurt Duo's feelings, something he'd sworn a long time ago he would never do. Hiding the box before the others got a chance to see what was in it, he fought to hold the blush that threatened to creep up over his cheeks at bay while pretending to show an interest for what the others had gotten from each other, as well as checking out his own, more sensible presents. Not very colourful gifts, but he was happy. It was better than getting CD's from bands he'd never heard of and clothes he would never wear. And even though it was something he and Duo hadn't talked about, he knew that Hilde's little gift would be used at a later date.

Trowa was still admiring his new watch, the presents next to him forgotten. The forgotten gifts included an envelope with a self-portrait of him and a new leather wallet from Duo, a pair of jeans and a red sweater along with some money from his parents, a book about the human mind from Hilde, a CD with classical music from Heero and _"The Green Mile"_ DVD from Wufei.

Quatre had received an envelope as well with a drawing of him in it from Duo plus a book about Meditation. His parents had given him the normal check so he could buy whatever he wanted himself, while Wufei had given him a book with stories about the balance off the universe. On the other hand, Heero had given him a CD of violin music, and Trowa had bought him a cute, stuffed lion. Hilde had given him a big box with chocolate and a book about kinky things to do in bed, something that made both Trowa and Quatre blush and at the same time made Heero a little more grateful about the present he'd got from Hilde.

Wufei had also gotten an envelope with a drawing of him in it as well as a book about relaxation from Duo, something he took as an insult and growled that he was more than able to relax on his own. Quatre had given him a grooming kit for his Dao, Trowa had given him a gift-certificate at some gym while Heero had given him a collection of old Chinese movies on DVD. Hilde had given him a bottle with Viagra pills and after both Duo and Quatre had spent some time calming the ranting Chinese down and convinced him to open the bottle, he'd found a gift-certificatet to a book store. He'd calmed down even more and brightened up when he got a present from Meilan and found out that she'd send him a box filled with Chinese tea.

Duo was still tearing off the paper on his presents, having just put them aside while he was handing out the presents to the others, but now he was tearing off the paper in a speed worthy of a hyper five-year old on Christmas. It didn't take long before he had disposed of all the paper and was hugging the living day-lights out of everybody.

He'd recieved Linkin Park's newest CD and DVD from Wufei, something that had earned the Chinese a big hug. Trowa had gotten a big hug as well when Duo opened the present from him, which was a pair of new, black jeans. Quatre also earned a kiss on the cheek on top of his hug when Duo had revealed that the present was ten free driving lessons so that Duo could finally start practicing to get his license. Heero had gotten a long, lazy kiss on the lips, something he didn't mind the least when Duo saw the presents from him. Heero remembered from the less than sucessful dinner with his parents, Duo had revealed to his mother that he wanted to learn more about the art of drawing manga so Heero had giver him three differen books on the subject; _"How to Draw Male Bodies", How to Draw Female Bodies _and _Occult and Horror"_. He wanted to give him _"How to Draw Bodies and Anatomy"_ as well, but figured out that since Duo had gotten two different books about the subject, it was unnecessary. After opening his present from Hilde, a lovely set of professional colouring pencils, Duo disapeared out of the living room to call her, promising to thank her from everybody for the presents they'd received. He also intended to call father Maxwell and Helen to thank them for the gift they'd given him a pair of new, black sneakers, a basketball and a check with some money that he could do whatever he wanted with.

Wufei stretched his body while Quatre was busy gathering all the paper. "Well, this was one way to kill an hour," he mumbled while scratching the base of his neck.

Quatre chuckled and gathered all the paper in a black garbage bag. "Oh, don't be so negative, Wufei. We know you enjoyed it."

Wufei snorted, but a little smile still played on his lips. "Well, it was okay. I finally got some sensibile gifts this year."

Trowa smiled softly and got up to help his blonde lover. "It's the thought behind the present that counts, Wufei. Not what you get."

Wufei snorted again and held up the bottle he'd gotten from Hilde. "Then what was she thinking when she gave me this? Is she implying something?"

"Maybe she says that it's about time you got laid again, Wuffie. After all, you've been out off action for quite a while now," Duo snickered as he returned to the living room after finishing his calls and flopped down next to Heero on the couch.

Wufei snorted and threw a pillow on him. "That goes for you too, Maxwell!"

Duo stuck out his tongue at the Chinese and snuggled up against Heero, closing his eyes when he felt Heero's strong arm wrap around his shoulders. "Hilde said hi, by the way. She really liked the presents you got her, especially the hat she got from you Trowa." Winking, Duo stared at the banged teen with a grin. "Didn't know you had such a fine sense of fashion, T-bone."

Trowa shrugged and released Quatre from the hug so he could pick up some paper that was stuck to his foot. "I don't. Cathy was the one who picked it out."

Quatre laughed. "Leave it to sisters to pick out gifts for girls. That's what I've always done."

Duo snickered. "Well, you have 29 to choose from. It's not everybody that has such a wide selection to choose from."

Quatre smiled and tilted his head. "Well, that's true..."

Duo snickered and snuggled up against Heero, enjoying his boyfriend's warm body. Heero tightened the grip around Duo's shoulders before looking up. "Well... What now?"

Quatre scratched his neck and nodded towards the few remaining pieces of paper around the floor. "Well, we normally clean up first and then just enjoy the company. Then we head out and do something fun."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Like?"

Duo chuckled. "Like starting a snowball-fight, go skiing, go ice-skating, whatever our imagination tells us to do. Yanno, just go out and have fun."

Heero nodded before burying his face in Duo's hair. "Sounds like fun..."

Duo chuckled and tweaked Heero's nose. "You don't sound very enthusiastic, Hee-chan."

Heero just snorted and removed Duo's hand from his nose before rubbing it. "I am. I'm just very comfortable where I am right now..."

Quatre smiled and cleaned away the last of the paper. "Well, there's nothing that says that we can't stay here and enjoy each others company first."

Wufei snorted and got onto his feet. "Indeed." Walking over to Quatre, he grabbed the bag from the blonde. "I'll take the garbage out, then I'm gonna make some coffee. Anybody else want a cup?"

Heero nodded. "Hai."

Quatre shook his head and returned to his lover. "No, thank you, Wufei. I'm fine. But thank you for asking."

Trowa shook his head as well and wrapped his arms around his petite lover, pulling him in for a hug. Duo shook his head as well and let out a little yawn. "No, thanks, Wuffers. I'm fine."

Wufei raised an eyebrow and looked at the teen. "You sure? You look a little tired."

Duo nodded and grinned. "Oh, I'll get my fire startin', Wuffers. Just ya wait until we get out and have some fun!"

Wufei rolled his eyes and started to walk out from the living room. "I'm afraid of that, Maxwell..."

Heero just snickered.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

_Author's Notes: Okay, a little short, but I've just come home from school and started a new job. I'm basically reduced to about one hour of writing a day so... Well, yeah. I'll be slow for a while, but I'll get a laptop soon so I'll be able to write whenever I want. So... Hang in there, please! _

_Well, what do you think about it? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	27. Releasing The Cat

**New Hope Home **

New chapter, new chapter! Well, I'm finally getting my old rhythm back and I think I'll be able to update a little more frequent now. No promises though. O.o

Aaaaaanyway, here's a new chapter for ya. Read and enjoy and thank you for sticking with me! Sorry that things are a little slow here, but I can promise you that things are far from finished. Trouble is brewing under the surface.

This story wont survive without you so keep reviewing! Thankies!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

"Releasing the Cat:"

"Get out off the way, get out of the way!"

Heero quickly moved out of Quatre's way as the blond suddenly came down the hill towards him. Thanks to his quick reflexes, a accident was prevented and the blond kept going down hill with Trowa behind him.

Shaking his head in mild amusement, he looked up towards the hill and watched the Chinese struggle with his own skis, with a 'helpful' Duo behind him.

"Come on, Wufei, it's not that hard. For somebody's who's an expert in martial arts, skiing really shouldn't be much of a problem. It's all about balance, dude."

Wufei snorted and manage to stand up. "Shut up, Maxwell, you are NOT being helpful!"

Duo just snickered and turned to stare down the hill. "Suit yourself, Wuffie." Then he took off, past Heero and down towards where Quatre had disappeared.

Heero chuckled and looked up towards Wufei again. "Do you need some help?"

Wufei shook his head and, after a little trouble, managed to turn so he was looking down the hill. "I'm fine, Yuy. I can do this."

Heero smirked and crossed his arms. "Never skied before?"

Wufei glared and got ready to take off, only to slip and fall down on his ass again. Heero chuckled softly and figured that Wufei would want to get onto his feet on his own. If anybody tried to assist him futher, his stubborn pride would be harmed. Turning to look down the hill, Heero took off, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair and over his face. The skis were wonderful, gliding easily over the snow and responding to his every movement. But of course, since it was the Winners who'd bought them, they would only settle for the best.

He continued his descent until he spotted the other three, he stopped in front of Trowa and watched as Quatre and Duo made snow-angels, the skis sitting in a pile off the side.

Trowa nodded towards the hills. "Wufei still having problems with standing?"

Heero nodded and looked at the hill as well. "Yeah. Has he ever skied before?"

Trowa nodded. "Yeah, but he just can't keep his balance. It's odd, really. A great martial artist like himself, not able to stand when a pair of skii's been attatched to his feet."

Heero snickered a little. "Well, the world's filled with mysteries."

Trowa smiled and shook his head. "I think Duo's getting to you."

Heero smirked and shrugged. "Doesn't bother me."

Trowa chuckled and looked up towards the hill where Wufei still was having problems getting onto his feet. "If he was here now, he would have said something slightly mean."

Duo chuckled and tried to sit up without leaving hand-prints on the snow-angel he'd been making. "Something in the line off; But it does bother me! One Maxwell is enough!"

Heero chuckled and shook his head. "You guys really have been friends for quite a while..."

Duo grinned and reached out a hand towards Heero. "Yup. Now help me up!"

Heero shook his head with an amused little smile playing on his lips and grasped Duo's hand, helping the braided teen up to his feet. Duo smiled and pressed a quick kiss to the Japanese's lips. "Thank you. Or arigato, as you so nicely put it."

Heero chuckled and smiled back to his boyfriend. "You're welcome..."

After putting his skis back on, Duo grabbed his poles and skied towards the Chinese. Heero watched as Duo got up the hill before glancing over at Trowa. "How long do you think he'll last up there when Wufei's that close to killing something?"

"Five minutes," was the calm reply from the Latino.

Heero nodded. "Agreed. Help Quatre up and I'll save Duo's butt."

Trowa nodded and stretched out a hand for Quatre while Heero started moving up towards the hill. Then Quatre's light voice made him stop. "Heero... I don't think Wufei needs any help?"

"Huh?" Looking up towards the hill, he spotted Wufei coming at full speed down the hill, screaming as he went. "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

Hurrying out of the way, Heero watched as Wufei swooshed past him and continued down the hill. Duo followed him while howling with laughter. "Keep your legs together, Wufei, you're doing fine!"

Hearing the Chinese howl back in Mandarin, Heero sweat-dropped and skied towards the blond and the Latino. Sighing, he gave them both a tired look. "Don't tell me he pushed him down the hill..."

Quatre chuckled slightly and smiled. "I'm afraid so..."

Heero shook his head again and looked down the hill. "He's dead now... Ain't he..."

Trowa gave him a questioning look. "Wufei? Nah, he's fine. He crashed into a tree last year and he survived without as much as a scratch."

Heero shook his head and sighed. "I was talking about Duo..."

"Oh..." The tall teen sweat-dropped and nodded. "Yeah... He's dead alright."

Quatre smiled and nodded in the direction of the cabin. "Wanna go ice-skating?"

Heero raised an eyebrow and looked at the blond. "What about Duo?"

Quatre smiled and shrugged. "He's survived last year when he did the same thing, he'll survive this year as well."

Heero sweat-dropped as he heard a yelp and a cry for mercy, drowned out by fierce shouts in Mandarin. "Are you so sure about that?"

Trowa shrugged as well and deadpanned. "He's got more lives than a cat."

Another cry was heard from the bottom of the hill and Heero turned. "Cat or not, I can't listen to this!"

Watching as the Japanese almost flew down the hill to save his boyfriend, Quatre smiled and leaned against Trowa. "He's in love..."

Trowa nodded and a ghost of a smile was visible on his lips. "I'd say..."

Looking up at his lover, Quatre gave him a bright smile. "Wanna go ice-skating?"

Nodding, Trowa grabbed the poles. "Sure thing." Staking his way back to the hut, he called back to his petite lover. "Quatre, there's something wrong with my poles... They seem shorter."

Quatre chuckled and staked his own way over to his lover. "Trowa... You've got my poles..."

Both Duo and Wufei escaped from Wufei's assault in good shape. Duo had blue bruises on his sides as the result from involentarly poking, Wufei's ego was slightly bruised, but other than that the two of them were fine so the next few days flew by as the five teens enjoyed each others company in one of the Winner family huts. Mostly spending their days outside either skiing, ice-skating, or playing in the snow, Heero felt that this was the best Christmas he'd ever had in his entire life. The fact that it was also his first celebrated Christmas didn't bother him.

The evening was spent in front of the fireplace or the television, enjoying the peace and the atmosphere. Duo often spent a few hours after dinner sketching the other four as they sat by the table, playing cards or just talking before joining them. He'd tried out some of the styles the books Heero had given him has shown, but mumbled something about not being able to handle it the way he wanted to, so he ended up going back to his old favorite. Heero couldn't see what Duo was doing wrong when he took a peek at his boyfriend's sketchbook; he thought everything looked professional. Duo had just swatted him over the head for looking and said that everything in that sketchbook was junk, crap and pieces of shit. Heero had swatted him back for good measure and called him a baka.

The day before they decided to leave the cabin, Heero and Trowa discussed who was going to drive the lot home. They agreed that Heero would drive them back since he got restless easily. Trowa didn't mind it the slightest; for him it meant that he could snuggle with Quatre in the back seat. Wufei didn't mind either since he could still sit in the passenger seat up front since Duo wanted to sit in the backseat to prevent himself from getting sick, despite that the four other teens thought it was probably better for him to sit up front.

As soon as car seating was deicded, they began taking down all the decorations abd packing them away. Duo was in charge of removing the Christmas tree décor without making too much of a mess, while Wufei and Quatre took down the decorations around the house. Heero started washing the windows, and Trowa put the boxes into the attic as they were filled up.

After all the cleaning was done, Quatre and Duo made a light dinner before the five teens spent the rest of the evening playing cards and watching some television before heading to bed.

Everybody except for Duo.

His plan was to stay up all night, watching movies, so he could spend the entire ride home sleeping and Heero decided that he might as well keep his boyfriend company for a little while. The first half of _"Pretty Woman"_ was spent making out on the couch. But when the clock ticked past one am, Heero decided that he had to go to bed. After all, he was the driver. So, very unwillingly, he left his boyfriend to go to bed in favour of making out as _"Scary Movie 3"_ started.

When the four teens got downstairs early the next day, they found a sleeping Duo on the couch with the television still on. Heero suspected that he'd fallen asleep very shortly after he'd left the living room.

Breakfast was pancakes and scrambled eggs made by Wufei, something that earned him a big hug from Duo. When the meal was finished, the five teens packed the rest of their belongings, brought them down to the first floor, checked that everything was turned off and all the sockets were clear before locking the cabin. After getting the luggage into the trunk, they claimed their seats before the long road home started.

Heero was, as agreed, the driver and by his side was Wufei, reading, to Heero's suprise, the book he'd gotten from Duo. Trowa and Quatre had already started to kiss in the backseat and Duo was long gone into dream-land. Obviously, his plan had worked like a charm.

The ride was quiet; the silence was only broken by the occasional fog-horn snore from Duo or murmurs from the two turtle-doves. When they reached the rest stop they'd stopped the last time, Quatre jumped out to pay a visit to the bathroom while Trowa walked silently over to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee, despite the rant he'd received from Wufei the last time he'd done that. Duo was still snoring in the backseat while Wufei was drumming the dashboard impatiently. Heero was just staring into mid-air, wondering where the time had gone. Their time at the cabin had seemed too short. When his cell suddenly beeped and broke the silence, he jumped before shaking his head and pulling the cell up to read the message. It was from his mother, announcing that she was now home, but his father was still away on the conference.

When Trowa returned with his coffee and Quatre was done with the bathroom, Heero started the car again and got it back on the road. Two more hours passed before Duo decided wake up and take up as much space as he could while stretching, much to the annoyance of Quatre and Trowa. Wufei just snickered while Heero bit his lips to prevent himself from laughing.

Fifteen minutes later they stopped the car so Duo could get some fresh air before he got car sick, during which time Trowa and Heero swapped places. The remaining time was used playing twenty questions and all too soon they could spot Heero's house in the distance.

"Guess that's you, huh," Duo said and smiled over to his boyfriend.

"Yeah," Heero replied, feeling a little sad over the fact that he wouldn't wake up in bed anymore with Duo by his side. He'd gotten used to the feeling of having his boyfriends body spooned against his.

"Ya mind if I just jump out by your place?"

Heero shook his head and smiled. "Of course not."

As soon as the car stopped, both Heero and Duo hopped out of the car, and grabbed their luggage from the trunk.

"Thank you for driving me home, Trowa. And thanks for letting me drive," Heero said and nodded to the banged teen.

Trowa nodded back and gave him a friendly smile before looking over at Duo. "I can drive you home as well, Duo. It's no trouble."

Duo shook his head and smiled. "Nah, I'll walk. Just thought I'd have a word with Heero first."

Trowa nodded and waved before driving the other two passengers home.

Watching as the car disappeared, Heero grabbed his backpack and hoisted it over his shoulder before walking over to the front door with Duo following. "Wanna come in? I got a message from my mother and she's come home, but father's still at the conference. He won't be back until another week."

Duo smiled and shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I hafta get home. Don't want Helen to have my head. Just wanted a proper good-bye kiss."

Heero nodded and gave his boyfriend a quick peck. "Watch the ice, it's slippery."

Duo laughed and swung his backpack over his shoulder. "Relax, I've walked on worst condition than this and come out from it without a scratch. Surely I'll survive walking on this back home."

Heero sighed and nodded before turning to unlock the door. "Just... Just be careful okay?"

Duo laughed and nodded before turning and started to walk down towards the streets after giving his boyfriend a quick and discreet kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, as said I'll be fine and- WOAH!"

Heero hadn't even been able to put his house key into the lock before a loud and horrifying thud was heard and a strangled cry, accompanied by many curses, filled the air. Spinning around, he found his boyfriend sprawled on his back on the ice while clenching the back of his head in his hands. "Owwww... God damned, son of a-!"

Running over to Duo, he gently lifted his upper body onto his lap. "Duo, are you okay!"

Duo moaned and gently touched the back of his head. "I'm fine, 'Ro... Head hurts like a bitch, but I'm fine..."

Heero gently removed Duo's hand away from the back of his skull and examined the area. "You're not bleeding, but you might have gotten a minor concussion. Are you dizzy? Do you have a head-ache?"

Duo glared up at his boyfriend. "Of course I have a head-ache! I just fell on the fucking ice," he snapped, then let out another groan as the throbbing in his head increased by the sound of his own voice.

Heero just frowned back. "Just answer my question."

Duo sighed. "Yes, I have a head-ache... But I don't feel any dizzy..."

Heero nodded and took a good grip around his boyfriend's waist just as his mother came out the door. "I heard the shouting. Is everything okay?""

Duo nodded and rubbed his head tenderly. "Yeah... Just slipped on the ice, that's all..."

Mrs. Yuy nodded and motioned for Heero to bring Duo inside. "I'll have a look at you, Duo. You might have a concussion or suffer from head trauma."

Duo chuckled and looked up at Heero. "That's what your boy over here was trying to find out..."

Mrs. Yuy smirked and opened the door wide. "Well, his father is a doctor and his mother is a nurse so he's bound to pick up a trick or two."

Heero smirked, helping Duo getting his arm around his neck before gripping his waist again to hoist him up. "You should see what I can do with a knife and a fish..."

Duo chuckled and prepared himself to be pulled up. "I can imagine."

Heero just smirked. "Ready?" Duo nodded and Heero helped him to his feet, only to have Duo cry out in pain and hang around Heero's neck with all his weight. Gripping Duo around the waist with both arms, Heero hoisted him up before Duo fell. "You okay!"

Duo shook his head and moaned. "No... My ankle... 't hurts..."

Mrs. Yuy carefully tip-toed over the ice and over to the two boys. "Get him inside, Heero and place him on the couch. He's most likely got a sprained ankle so I'll just check him over."

"Really, ma'am, you don't hafta... I can just go to the hospital and-" Duo started, only to have Mrs. Yuy's finger placed over his lips. "I am a nurse, Duo and I can just take care of you here. Travelling all the way to the hospital is just a waste of time when I am fully capable of taking care of you right here and now."

Duo just nodded and felt his cheeks flush. "I just don't wanna be a burden..."

"Nonsense." Fixing her eyes on Heero, Mrs. Yuy pointed towards the house. "Get the patient onto the couch, Heero. I'll just get the medical kit from the car."

Heero nodded and carefully helped Duo into the house and over to the couch. After gently helping Duo onto the couch, Heero sat down next to him and stroked some of his bang out of his eyes. "You okay, Duo?"

Duo nodded and gave a weak smile. "As good as it gets after slipping on the ice... But I can use some ice for my head..."

Heero shook his head. "Ice directly on the head is dangerous... You can get frostbiteon your brain."

Duo's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

Heero nodded and Duo slumped back onto the couch. "No wonder 'fei's so strange... He always puts ice on his head of he hurts himself there."

Heero gently chuckled and smiled. "Don't be mean, I know you like him."

Duo just grinned and stuck his tongue out. Smirking Heero leaned closer and whispered. "Wanna put that tongue of yours into better use?"

Duo's own grin turned very mischiveous, and seconds later his hand was curled around Heero's neck. "When have I ever turned down a kiss from you?" he murmured softly and pulled down the Japanese teen for a kiss.

Heero brought his hand down on the armrest on the couch to support himself while slowly exploring the familiar territory that was Duo's mouth.

Just as he was about to use his other hand to caress Duo's cheek, somebody tapped his shoulder. Jerking away from Duo, Heero turned his head and started right into his mother's face. "M-mother..."

Mrs. Yuy's face was completely unreadable, but her foot was gently tapping the ground. In her hands was the medical kit she's said she'd bring. "It's nice-," she said after a moment with embarrassing silence where both teen tried their best to disappear into the couch. "-that you're trying to relax the patient and making him feel better, Heero. However, I can not help him when your tongue is halfway down his throat."

Heero obliged and got onto his feet faster than he could ever remember. Placing himself beside the couch instead, he could feel his cheeks burn. He was embarrassed that his mother had to find out like that, angry that he'd embarrassed both himself and Duo, and to be honest, he was scared as well. The normal tone in his mothers voice was gone, leaving it stoic and almost unfriendly. He didn't like it.

Gripping Duo's foot, Mrs. Yuy gently twisted it from side to side while excamining it, drawing small hisses of pain from the braided teen. "You've definitely sprained your ankle," she mumbled and pulled out a pack with crushed ice from her medical kit as well as a Ace bandage. Wrapping the foot from the toes and up to the calf muscle snug, but she made sure she wasn't cutting the blood circulation. Then she taped the ice-pack over the bandage before looking at Duo. "Listen carefully. It's important that you rest when you get home, it's the first twenty-four to forthty-eight hours that's critical. Don't put too much pressure on your foot and when you rest, keep your foot higher than your head. I'm sure that they can help you with that back at the orphanage. You can put books under your mattress or something."

Duo nodded and made sure that he remembered everything, but didn't dare to look Mrs. Yuy in the eyes.

Mrs. Yuy picked up some unused ice-packs as well as some tape and put into a bag. "Chilling your foot for twenty minutes every third hour will help getting the swelling down and it's important that you do so for the first twenty-four hours. But not more than twenty minutes at a time or you can harm the tissue in your foot. As time goes, put more and more pressure on your foot carefully until you're well. You should be back to normal in a month or so, but I would like to have another check on you in a week."

Duo nodded again and swallowed heavily while slowly getting up. "Yes, ma'am."

"Now." Gently pushing Duo down onto the couch again, she picked up a small flash-light. Fixing the light into Duo's eyes, she checked the reactions of his pupils. "You say you're not dizzy, but discovering head trauma can take weeks. I'll wrap your head in a bandage for now, but if you notice any mood-swings, like sudden sadness or irritation, or if you have trouble remembering anything, contact a doctor."

Duo nodded for the third time and held his breath while Mrs. Yuy gently bandaged his head. When she was done, she looked at Heero while getting up. "Help Duo into the car and I'll drive him home."

Heero nodded and gently helped Duo up after picking up the bag with ice-bags and tape while Mrs. Yuy walked out to start the car. Duo didn't say anything as Heero started leading him out the door and carefully over the ice. Opening the door, Heero placed Duo onto the backseat and placed a pillow under his foot before climbing into the passenger-seat.

The car-ride to the orphanage was silent and Heero could feel the tension growing. His mother wasn't looking at him, Duo kept his own gaze firmly on his foot and Heero was watching his hands. When the car stopped, Heero bit his lip.

After a moment, Heero gently glanced over at Duo and quietly spoke. "I'll just... Help Duo back to the door... And make sure people are home..."

Mrs. Yuy nodded while gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than intended. As Heero slid out of the passenger-seat after opening the door, she grasped his arm gently and whispered. "Don't... Drag the time out, okay? We need to talk..."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

_Author's Notes: Medical_ _Information_ _can be found on: _

_http/orthopedics. _

_http/www.cdc.gov/doc.do?id0900f3ec8000d38c _

_Lame ass chapter, but I just wanted to finish the hut adventure... Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	28. We Need To Talk

New Hope Home 

Bam, bam, bam! The cat's halfway out of the bag. Heero's mother now knows about the relationship her son has with Duo, but what does she has to say about it? Read and find out.

"We Need To Talk:"

With his arm wrapped around the braided teen's waist and Duo's backpack on his back, Heero followed Duo to the front gate of the orphanage quietly, making sure that his boyfriend didn't put any unnecessary pressure on his ankle. Not a word was spoken between the two teens and the tension was unbearable for both of them.

As soon as Duo touched the doorknob with his hand, he spoke quietly. "Listen, Heero... I'm... I'm sorry if I'm causing trouble for you at home... I know that you didn't want to come out to your parents like that..."

Heero shrugged and gave Duo a weak smile. "It's as good as any other way I suppose..."

Duo didn't smile; he just looked down at the ground while limping towards the door. Heero gently touched his cheek and gave him another weak smile. "Listen...Duo, it wasn't your fault... We both were playing around... And I'm sure that my mother will take it well, she hasn't had anything but good things to say about you..."

Duo gave Heero a sad look and mumbled bitterly."People tend to... Change their opinions as soon as they find out that their son or daughter is dating someone of the same sex..."

Heero didn't have anything to say against that; he knew very well that Duo knew what he was talking about when it came to this. "I'll speak with my mother..." he said quietly and leaned in for a quick kiss.

Duo pulled back a little and nodded towards the car. "Your mother is watching us..."

"Don't care," Heero mumbled and stared into Duo's eyes. "She already know, so why not act like we usual do. You know, show no regret and all that..."

Duo chuckled a little and finally smiled. "I suppose... As long as you don't get into trouble for it."

Heero just smiled and pressed his lips to Duo's, giving him a chaste kiss. "I'll call you later, okay? Don't walk around too much or put unnecessary pressure on your leg. I'll stop by tomorrow with a pair of crutches for you. I'm sure my mother won't mind you borrowing a pair."

Duo chuckled and returned the kiss. "What are you, my freakin' doctor?" Chuckling even more from the strict look Heero was giving him, he nodded. "Okay, okay. I'll watch my leg..."

Heero nodded and removed his hand from Duo's cheek unwillingly.

Duo gently looked over at him again and whispered. "Hey... Good luck..."

Heero gave him a weak smile in return and nodded before pressing the buzzer to the orphanage.

After making sure that Duo and his belongings got back inside and that Helen had been notified about Duo's little accident, and calmed down enough by both Heero and Duo, he turned and walked slowly towards the car. He knew that this day would have come eventually, but now that it was here it seemed far too soon. He didn't have a clue on what to say, but he knew that he would be very defensive of both himself and Duo.

Quietly sliding back into the passenger seat, he stared firmly at his feet. He didn't want to look at his mother right now, not when he didn't know what to say. He wasn't ashamed of what he'd done, but he'd planned to break it to his mother and father in a more... Gentle way.

Swallowing, Heero started thinking of his father. Would his mother tell him what she'd seen?

As Mrs. Yuy started the car and began driving back home, she said firmly. "I'm not going to tell your father about what I've seen and what we're going to talk about."

Heero nodded, but remained silent as Mrs. Yuy drove them home.

Mrs. Yuy didn't say anything either. She just kept her eyes glued on the road ahead of them, sorting out her mind and figuring out what she had to say to her son about what she'd just seen.

When she stopped the car, Heero opened the door and started to slide out from the seat, only to feel his mother's hand clamp over his arm. "Don't. We'll have our talk here."

Heero nodded and sat back in the seat before closing the car door. He stared straight ahead, his face as stoic as his mothers face had been when she'd examined Duo's leg.

Sighing, Mrs. Yuy opened her mouth. "Heero…"

"Just so you know," he started, still not looking at his mother. "I have nothing to say in my defense, nor do I wish to defend my actions. I don't regret what I did."

"I don't want you to defend your actions, Heero. I didn't raise you like that. I know that when you do something, you have a reason for it."

Heero's eyes widened slightly and he carefully looked at his mother. He wasn't surprised to see that the woman was staring back at him.

"Heero... I will not question your relationship with Duo, that is your business and your business alone." Smiling gently, Mrs. Yuy let her eyes soften and brushed a hand over Heero's cheek. The young man flinched slightly, but didn't pull away from the touch. "I am not angry with you, but I am a bit disappointed."

Seeing Heero's eyebrow knit themselves together, she let out a tiny laugh. "Not like that, Heero. I am disappointed that you didn't tell me. Don't you trust your mother enough to tell her when you get a boyfriend?"

Heero opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He just opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before closing it and settled with giving his mother a questioning look.

Mrs. Yuy smiled again and gently patted Heero's arm. "Heero... I do not think less of you, just because you've suddenly found out that you are homosexual or bisexual."

"Homo... Sexual," Heero said slowly while feeling a blush creep over his face. "I'm pretty sure I'm homosexual. I... Have never really looked at girls... In any sort of way... Never felt atracted to them... In any way..."

Mrs. Yuy nodded and gave Heero a soft smile. "Alright... A homosexual... But as I said before you interrupted me; it doesn't matter to me what gender you're attracted too. What matters to me is that you're happy. And I can see that Duo makes you happy." Chuckling slightly, she closed her eyes. "To be honest, I've seen it coming..."

Heero gasped and looked at her with wide eyes. "Wha-? How?"

Laughing again, she gave her son an amused smile. "I've seen the way you've acted around him. I think you've been attracted to him since the day you saw him."

Feeling his cheeks burn, Heero looked down at his hands and fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket. He felt a little uncomfortable, as well as confused, but he was also relieved that his mother seemed to be okay with the whole thing.

Sensing that her son was feeling uncomfortable, she opened her eyes and patted his shoulder, still with the smile playing on her lips. "Heero... I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, nor do I wish for you to be embarrassed about your attraction... All I want is for you to be happy and I can see that you're very happy. I'm glad that you fell for Duo and were able to start a relationship with him. He was a good choice."

"Mother, I'm not embarrassed, I just-! Huh?" Looking up from his hands, Heero stared at his mother. "You're... Happy with my choice?"

Mrs. Yuy smiled and nodded. "Very happy. Duo's a nice boy, despite everything he's been through and I dare say that he's done you a world of good." Sighing a little, she squeezed Heero's shoulder. "Heero... I know that... Both I and your father have raised you very strictly, that you haven't had the childhood you needed... I'm pleased with the way you've turned out; you're responsible, you're smart and dedicated, you've turned out to be a nice and handsome young man... But I regret the path we used to raise you... A child should be allowed to be outside and play with others, not be inside and read all the time.… I feel that's why you've been so lonely when you grew up, that you've had so much trouble finding people you can relate to and feel comfortable with..."

Squeezing Heero's shoulder a little harder, Mrs. Yuy's eyes were sad as she continued. "I know you've been very lonely, Heero... I know you haven't been bothered by it, not as we've seen... But mentally..."

Heero swallowed and covered his mothers tiny hand with his own. "Mother..."

Mrs. Yuy looked down for a second to gather her thoughts before looking back up, a little smile once again playing on her lips. "I can't begin telling you how happy I was... The day you brought Duo home and introduced him as your friend... I took a liking to him right away. And when you spoke of him, I was happy. Happy that you'd finally found a friend you could have fun with. I hoped that Duo would get you to loosen up a little, but what he's done for you is beyond all expectation."

Smiling a little, she removed her hand from Heero's shoulder and stroked his hair instead. "I'm not saying that you weren't having fun before; I know you've enjoyed your life as it was, but... I've never seen you smile or laugh like that before... And I know that Duo isn't doing anything to drag you down either. You're able to have fun and continue with your studies. I can see that your grades are still the same and that's good."

Letting himself smile a little as well, Heero nodded as his mother spoke. "Duo's... Wonderful... Absolutely wonderful... I've never had so much fun as I've had when I'm with him... We can talk about anything, do anything and I can be comfortable with it... He's even made me sing and dance on a stage... In public."

Laughing, Mrs. Yuy smiled brightly at her sons words. " That's what I want to hear, Heero!"

Heero chuckled a little as well, the previous tension was now gone and he was finally able to relax. "Duo's taught me so many things, mother... To relax and have fun... I... I cannot thank him enough for what he's done for me..."

Smiling softly, Mrs. Yuy asked softly. "And in a relationship?"

Heero's cheeks flushed up in a slight pink colour, but the small smile remained on his lips. "He's wonderful... He's been patient with me all this time, he pushed me in the right direction, but doesn't put any pressure on me... He realizes that I've needed time to..."

"Accept your sexual preferences?"

Chuckling, Heero shook his head. "That has never been a problem. The day after we got together, we made it official at school. It was coming out to you that's been the problem... But now that you know... And you're fine with it... But... I was never really worried about telling you, but..."

Mrs. Yuy nodded and moved her hand back down to rest on Heero's shoulder. "I can tell that it's your father that has you worried."

Heero nodded and looked at his mother.

Mrs. Yuy sighed and looked down. "It's no secret what your father thinks about homosexuals... And the news that you're a homosexual will not please him the least..." Sighing heavily, she continued quietly. "He only wants what's best for you, Heero... He wants you to have a proper education, get a good job so you can start your own family one day and have a good life... He means well, but he's so... Narrow-minded."

Fixing chocolate colored eyes on Heero's Prussian blue ones, she said with a firm voice. "I can tell you this much, Heero. Your father won't be happy when he hears this. I will not tell him, it's better that he hears it from you, but remember; Whatever your father says or do, you are still our son and we love you. Don't be affected by anything and be proud of what you are and what you have with Duo. As long as you are happy, then that's all that matters. Just because your father believes in something doesn't mean that it's right."

Heero nodded and let the small smile grow bigger. "Thank you, mother... It means... A lot to me..."

Mrs. Yuy smiled and nodded. Then her smile filled with amusement and she leaned her arm against the back of her seat. "So... You told me that you came out in public with Duo the day after you got together. How long have you two been dating anyway?"

Heero laughed and flashed his mother a bright smile. "When did you become so curious about my life."

Mrs. Yuy laughed again. "I'm curious about everything in my son's life, especially when it makes him smile. So tell me!"

Heero chuckled and looked out the front window with a slightly dreamy look on his face. "It hasn't been that long... We got together in the middle of November... The day after Trowa's birthday party... I'd been attracted to him longer, but the party gave me the courage I needed to... Express those feelings."

Mrs. Yuy chuckled and gave her son a teasing smile. "You got smashed and kissed him, didn't you."

Once again a faint blush crept over Heero's cheek. "I wasn't slushed..." he mumbled and crept a little down into his seat.

Mrs. Yuy chuckled again and her smile turned more soft. "You've always been a man of action... Just like your father..."

Heero just snorted, still with fairly pink cheeks.

Chuckling, Mrs. Yuy patted Heero's shoulder before making an even more embarrassing statement. "I hope you two use protection when having sex."

"What!" Heero's cheeks flamed up to an ever deeper shade of red and he fixed wide, Prussian blue eyes on his calm mother.

Mrs. Yuy gave him a serene look and repeated the question. "Protection when you have sex. I don't know who of you is seme and who's uke, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I know you don't have any diseases, Heero and I doubt Duo has any either. He's a smart boy and I'm sure he's tested himself, but as I said it's better-"

Lifting a hand, Heero spoke quietly. "We haven't slept together..."

"Really?" Raising an eyebrow, Mrs. Yuy gave her son a questioning look. "Two healthy teenage boys like yourself?"

"Mother," Heero pleaded while feeling his cheeks burn. "We haven't had... We haven't... We've only cupped a feel, we've never had the urge to just..." Swallowing, Heero wondered if his mother thought he was as stupid as he felt right now. His mother was a nurse and he knew she'd both seen and heard a lot about everything when it came to sex. Still, having to talk about it made him feel uncomfortable. After all, it was his mother. "I want this to last. I don't want a one-night stand or a quick roll between the sheets. I want... I want it to be right... And Duo's been in enough crappy relationships as it is, I don't wanna force myself on him..."

Smiling, Mrs. Yuy nodded. "That's noble and very smart of you... Too many perfectly good relationships have been broken because the two involved sleep together too soon. I think you are being very smart, Heero... And you're showing respect for Duo by respecting his wish to wait, even if he hasn't said anything about it to you."

Heero gave him mother a weak smile and closed his eyes as he bowed his head in thanks. "Thank you... For listening to me... For everything..."

Mrs. Yuy smiled and finally unbuckled herself from the seat. "No need to thank me, Heero. I'm your mother and I'm only too happy to help you in your life."

Heero's smile brightened and he leaned over to hug his mother. "Arigato, okaa-san..."

Mrs. Yuy smiled back and hugged her son close. "You're very welcome, Heero..."

"So how did it go?"

Heero was sitting in front of his computer, just searching around on his usual pages when Duo had called him. Smiling when he heard the worry in his boyfriend's voice, he leaned back into the chair. "It's okay, Duo. Nothing to fear. My mother took it very well."

"Really? No screaming or ugly words?" Heero could hear the disbelief in Duo's voice and choked back a chuckle.

"No bad words, Duo. She congratulated us. In fact, she said that she's thrilled that I got together with you if I was goning to like men. She really liked you, and she thinks you are good for me." Dropping his voice into a tender whisper, he added softly. "And you are, Duo..."

Hearing the faint chuckle at the other end, Heero just knew he'd hit just the right string. He could imagine the faint blush that had crept over Duo's cheeks and how he would be playing with the end of his braid now.

"Thanks for that, Hee-chan. You're good to me too... You make me more focused and livelier."

Chuckling, Heero smiled and got up from the chair to sit down on the bed instead. "Is such a thing even possible? I think you were lively enough as it was when I first met you."

"Well, what can I say? You've lit my fire, baby."

Laughing, Heero moved to sit by the head of the bed and leaned back against the headboard. Leaning his head backwards until it hit the wall, he let his smile soften. "That's nice to hear, but once again, you were pretty damn hot before I came into the picture."

Hearing Duo's merry laugh down the line made Heero smile even more and he could picture Duo's smile in front of his eyes. "But to change the subject, how's your foot doing?"

"None to shabby. Helen's put a bunch of books under it so it's high up in the air, just like your mommy told me to do. And she's just removed like the third ice-back from it so my ankle is numb. I couldn't move it, even if I wanted too."

Heero chuckled. "Well, you're not supposed to move it, so there. I'll drop by tomorrow with a pair of crutches for you. Mom said it was okay for me to take the pair we have here at home."

"Thanks, Hee-chan. Owe ya one."

Smiling softly, Heero murmured. "You owe me nothing, Duo... It's my pleasure."

"Well, maybe I should repay you like that then, eh, Hee-chan? With pleasure."

Hearing the teasing voice made Heero's breath hitch and he swallowed heavily. He wasn't completely used to Duo's teasing and it didn't help his raging hormones one bit. "We'll just have to wait and see, don't we?" he managed to purr back after making sure that his voice was calm.

Hearing the faint snicker down the line made Heero realize that he'd just fallen victim for Duo's trap, but he didn't really mind. "I suppose we'll have to do that. Can't do much with a twisted ankle anyway."

"Oh, I bet we can figure something out. After all, we're both very skilled when it comes to many things," Heero shot back and grinned when he heard Duo's own breath hitch.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Oh, I keep all of my promises, Duo," Heero purred, enjoying the fact that he was tormenting his boyfriend instead of the other way around.

"Then it's a date, babe."

Chuckling, Heero smiled and nodded. "It's a date. I'll see you tomorrow, Duo. Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed-bugs bite," was sung back to him and then the connection was cut. Taking a deep breath, Heero closed his eyes while letting a small smile grace over his lips. Right now, life was looking good.

_Author's Notes: Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	29. Midnight Kisses

**New Hope Home**

New chappie. Things are heating up and if I've been successful, this will now start resembling a normal teenage and gay relationship. Thank you everybody for the feedback and tips, I love ya all+huggles+

"Midnight Kisses:"

"How are you feeling today?" Heero smiled as he stepped into Duo's room, holding a pair of crutches in his hands.

Heero had gotten up early that morning, anxious to see his boyfriend again. He knew that Duo would never be up before eleven; however, with a twisted ankle he'd be more rested and probably be up a little earlier. So he'd paced around his room, surfed a dozen different and very interesting pages about homosexuality through the ages, and looked over his school work to make time pass.

When it was almost eleven, he'd grabbed his cell, wallet, and keys, and then he stuffed the items into his pocket. Yanking on his jacket, he'd grabbed a pair of crutches from his father's office and was out the door before his mother had the chance to say anything about him skipping breakfast again.

Duo smiled and set down the book he'd been reading as his boyfriend stepped into his room. "Good. Kinda bored lying here and my toe is itching, but other than that I'm good."

Heero smiled and placed the crutches next to Duo's desk. "That's good. You need anything?"

Duo chuckled and tried to sit up. "Helen was in five minutes before you came and asked me the same thing. If twisting my ankle gets me this kind of service, I need to do it more often."

"Don't kid around about it," Heero said seriously while fluffing up Duo's pillows. "You could have broken something or suffered serious head trauma. Be glad you came out with a head ache and a twisted ankle."

Duo rolled his eyes before smiled and nodded while leaning back against the pillow. "I know, Heero. I was just kidding."

Heero continued to frown and sat back onto Duo's bed. "This isn't joking material. I got scared when you fell. I thought you'd been seriously injured."

Duo smiled as a light blush covered Heero's cheeks and leaned over to cup his boyfriends cheek. "You worried about me?"

Heero nodded. "Of course I did..."

Duo's smile just turned wider. "You're so sweet, Hee-chan... And a closet romantic."

Heero snorted and pushed Duo back onto the bed. "Lie still, Duo. That foot of yours has to be still."

"Yes, Mum," Duo chirped and placed his hands behind his head as Heero started checking his leg.

"The swelling has gone down, but only a little bit."

"Is that a good thing?"

Heero smiled and nodded. "It's a start. I'll give it two to three weeks and it'll be as good as new. But only if you put as little pressure as possible on it."

Duo grinned. "Well, I don't think that will be a problem. With Helen and yourself to take care of me, I'm bounded to make a full recovery."

Heero smiled and nodded. "That's good. And speaking of Helen; how did she react when she found out about your ankle?"

Duo frowned a little and let a pout grace over his lips. "Well, at first she yelled at me for being reckless when I'm skiing, not caring where and how fast I go, then she started laughing and called me a klutz when I told her I fell on the ice outside of your house."

Heero chuckled and gently brushed some stray hairs out of Duo's pouting face. "Well... When you think about it, it is kinda stupid. You've been jumping around all the place while we were up at the cabin, being a demon both in the hills and on the ice, but you fall when you're walking back home."

Duo frowned and stuck out his tongue. "Nice to know that you're loved..."

Heero just smiled and leaned over to place a small kiss on Duo's lips. "I don't mean to be mean, Duo..."

Duo smiled softly and lifted a hand to place against Heero's cheek. "I know, baby... It's just who you are. Mean and dead sexy."

Heero snorted and removed Duo's hand from his cheek. "Can I get you anything, Duo? Water? Something to eat? A tranquilizer so you can shut up for a while?"

Duo stuck out his tongue again and grinned. "You love my mouth and you know it, Hee-chan."

Heero snorted, but still gave Duo a little smile of his own. "Well, can't say anything against that."

Duo just grinned and used one of his pillow to hit his boyfriend over the head. Heero laughed and grabbed the pillow before he could be swatted again and leaned in to give Duo a soft kiss. Duo immediately surrendered to the Japanese's tender administrations and wrapped his arms around Heero's neck, kissing him softly back. Gently nipping on Duo's lip, Heero slipped his tongue into Duo's open mouth and stroked it against it's counterpart, exploring the now familiar territory. Duo's own was hand slowly running through the messy hair, making Heero purr into the kiss.

After a few moments of gently kissing and caressing, Heero broke the kiss of for air and leaned his head against Duo's forehead. "Speaking of mouths... Is yours available on New Years eve?"

Duo raised an eyebrow, but still let a small smile play on his lips. "It might be... Depends on the occasion."

Heero smiled softly and licked his lips. "Well... The good rumours are having it that Quatre's parents is out of town this and next week, and Quatre is inviting us to a New years party on Friday, and I would love for you to be my date. After all, I've missed seventeen of those famous kisses when the clock strokes midnight... Now that I actually have one to share those kisses with, I don't want to miss another one..."

Duo smiled teasingly and cupped Heero's cheek. "God forbid that you'll miss another of those famous midnight kisses... Not when you have someone to share 'em with... And I ain't planning on missing my part of the kiss either so I guess I'll hafta accept your invitation..."

Heero smiled softly and sealed their mouths together again, kissing him softly.

Duo purred softly into the kiss and trailed his hand through Heero's thick hair. Feeling Heero's tongue nudge against his lips, he happily opened his mouth and let his own tongue glide out to play with Heero's. Hearing a deep rumble from Heero's chest made Duo smile more and wrapped his arms around Heero's neck to deepen the kiss. "Mmmm... Heero..."

Heero let his own hands find their way to Duo's waist as he gently lifted the teen of the bed and halfway to his lap. He didn't plan to, it had just happened; all thoughts and memories of Duo's injured foot had blown out of his head. Instead his hand was trailing it's way under Duo's shirt and was gently caressing the soft skin underneath. The soft moan that came from Duo's throat only encouraged him further. Breaking the kiss for air, Hero let his lips trail over Duo's jaw and down his throat, making Duo's breath catch in his throat.

"H-Heero... S-shit..."

A soft knock on the door made Heero rip loose from Duo's neck and stare at the door, hair messier than normal, his hand halfway up under Duo's shirt and said owner of shirt halfway onto his lap; how he'd gotten there without causing his foot any pain or discomfort was a mystery. Duo's own arms were around Heero's neck and his face was red. "Y-yeah?"

A red-haired and big, blue eyed girl peeked into the room; Suzanne gently pushed the door open and walked into the room. Smiling, she ran to the bed, forgetting to close the door and hugged Heero's leg. "Hiya, Heewo!"

Chuckling, Heero gently helped Duo back onto the bed without causing him too much pain before lifting the little girl onto his lap. "Hi, Suzanne."

Duo smiled and gently waved from his spot on the bed. "Hi, Shorty. Come to feed me again?"

Suzanne giggled and nodded. "Aa!"

Duo grinned and opened his arms for a hug. Suzanne giggled while jumping out of Heero's arms and into Duo's, hugging him tightly. Duo laughed and hugged her back while smiling up at Heero. "She's been so sweet; she's been taking care of me all morning, bringing me water or food. The perfect, little helper."

Heero smiled and gently ran his hand over Suzanne's head. "She may be your personal slave, but she still can't say my name right."

Duo grinned and stuck his tongue out. "She's only five; don't expect miracles."

Heero just rolled his eyes.

Suzanne looked at Duo with a curious look while the braided teen licked over his lips. "Did Heero give you a boo-boo?"

Duo looked back at the little girl and shook his head. "No, why do you ask?"

Suzanne continued to stare before she pointed and giggled. "Your lips is all red! Like Helen when she paints them!"

Duo gently touched his still red and kiss-swollen lips, and blushed a crimson colour. "Oh, that... Well... Umm..."

Heero grinned and stroked his hand over Suzanne's head. "Duo was just exercicing his mouth a little, so he can talk even faster."

Suzanne giggled. "Really?"

Duo chuckled and shrugged. "In a way, yes. And I'm trying to hold my breath as long as possible."

Suzanne giggled. "But how does that make your lips red?"

Duo didn't have an answer for that and just scratched the base of his neck while opening and shutting his mouth. Heero scratched his neck too before mumbling. "Well, when you exercise, your muscles gets tired, and you get sweaty and red."

"But why?"

Heero frowned. "Because you get hot inside your body and it tries to cool down by letting the heat out through your skin. That's why your skin turns red when you're doing something that makes you tired."

"But why?"

Heero frowned again and leaned down so that he and Suzanne was face to face. "You know, for being a five-year old, you sure ask a lot of questions," he growled and poked her chest.

Suzanne just giggled before wrapping her arms around Heero's neck and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Duo just laughed.

Suzanne stayed with Heero and Duo for a while, talking about things she had done while Heero and Duo had been away with their friends at the mountain and all the new people she had met. Apparently three different couples had visited the orphanage, looking for a little boy or girl they could adopt. She had spent a whole day with a very nice lady and man, and they had promised her that they would com back soon to visit her. Duo's eyes got a little sad glimmer, but it lasted only for a second before they sparkled with happiness. "Well then, you have to show yourself from your best side then, little dolly. Show them what a great kid you really are."

Suzanne nodded and smiled, then her face turned serious and she looked at both Heero and Duo with serious eyes. "Heewo... Duo... Do you think that I will get a new mommy and daddy soon?"

Heero looked at Duo, hoping that he could answer her that. Duo swallowed, but still smiled and stroked her cheek. "Of course you will. Who can resist a cute, little girl like you?"

Suzanne giggled and hugged Duo tightly.

Heero smiled softly while watching the two of them before a soft knock on the door caught his attention. "Yes?"

"Are you alright in there?" Peeking her head into the room, Helen smiled and she spotted Suzanne on Duo's lap. "Well, is this where you were hiding, little missy. Helping Duo again?"

Suzanne giggled and nodded. "Yeah, Sister Helen!"

Heero raised an eyebrow and mouthed 'sister?' to Duo. Duo just shrugged and mouthed 'Tell ya later,' back to his boyfriend.

Helen smiled and walked over to the bed to pick the giggling girl up. Stroking a hand tendery over her head, Helen murmured softly. "You know, Suzanne, you really should let Duo get some rest. His foot needs to be perfectly still so it an get well again."

Suzanne nodded. "I know, Helen. Sowwy."

Helen just smiled and cupped her cheek. "It's okay, Suzanne. As long as Duo says it's okay, then it is okay. But guess what, little dolly."

Suzanne gave Helen a curious look and started to bounce in her arms. "What? What?"

Helen smiled and winked. "There is a certain couple that wants to see you again. They wanted to know if you wanted to join them for dinner today."

Suzanne gasped before throwing her arms around Helen's neck. "Really? They came? Yay!"

Laughing, Helen placed the little girl onto the ground and watched as she ran out the door to meet the couple. Helen smiled and looked at Duo. "Maybe this will be Suzanne's new chance. This couple, a very nice lady named Lise and her husband Bob, is very interested in her. They are unable to have kids themselves so they really want a little girl or boy of their own to spoil."

Duo nodded and lied back onto the pillows. "Well, she deserved it since she lost her father in such a way. Hopefully she will get a new home with loving parents."

Helen smiled and nodded. "I agree." Looking at the two teens, she smiled even wider and winked. "Well, I will leave the two of you alone. Will you stay for dinner today, Heero? I think Duo might need a hand getting to the table."

Heero smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't. I have to drive to pick my father at the airport since Mum is working late today. I have to get home soon."

Duo gave Heero a sad look and pouted. "Awww, Heero... You're gonna leave me here in my misery?"

Helen chuckled and patted Duo's shoulder. "I'm sure I can give you something to do, Duo. For now-," she started and walked to the door. "-I will leave the two of you alone." Smiling, she walked out of the room and closed the door softly.

Heero looked over at Duo who stared at the door with a little smile on his lips. "Something on your mind?"

Duo shook his head and stared at Heero. "Hmm? I was just thinking about Suzanne. It's great that she's getting another chance in life. She really deserves it."

Heero looked down at his hand and murmured softly. "So do you, Duo..."

Duo gave Heero a look and pinched his arm, earning a little yelp from the Japanese. "If you're thinking about my current parent-les state, then stop. I ain't suffering because of it. Just because I don't have a mum and dad to take care of me, I still have someone that cares for me and a place I can call home."

Heero looked up at Duo while rubbing his arm. "I'm sorry, Duo, I didn't mean to-"

Lifting up his hand, Duo cut his boyfriend before he could start ranting and smiled softly. "Heero... Don't... I know you didn't mean to. Yes, I am sad that I don't have a mum and dad. Yes, I am a sad case, sitting in a orphanage at the age of eighteen, feeling totally unwanted because I used to have some problems when I was little. But I ain't suffering. I have everything I could ever want: friends, a loving boyfriend, people that care about me." Smiling softly, Duo leaned over and placed a little kiss on Heero's nose. "What more could I ever want?"

Heero smiled and gently cupped Duo's cheek. "You're a brave man, Duo... Braver than most people... And you have a heart of gold..."

Duo smiled, but still a little blush crept over his cheek. "Thank you, Heero..."

Heero remained with Duo for a while before it was time for him to leave to pick off his father at the airport. After kissing his boyfriend good-bye and promising him that he would call later that day, Heero left the orphanage to go home.

Picking up his father went quicky and the ride home was silent; obivously his father was still a little annoyed that Heero had celebrated Christmas at the mountain with his gay friends, but much to Heero's relief, he didn't say anything about it. He knew he couldn't hide his secret to his father forever, but he still hadn't figured out a way to break it to him.

When they got home, Heero started a simple meal for his father while he was in the shower before walking up to his room so he could call Duo about the party.

The days passed and Heero spent a lot of time at the orphanage so he could help Duo with small things, and by the time the braided teen was up and hobbling around on the crutches on his own, it was already Friday. Helen was more than a little worried about the party and would have preferred it if Duo had remained at home, but trusted that Heero would take care of him. But she still drove them both to Quatre's place to ensure there were no futher accidents on the ice.

Wufei was already seated in the living room, a bottle with beer in his hand and a bored face, when Heero and Duo arrived. Quatre showed them in after telling them that Trowa had left to pick up Hilde. After placing Duo on the couch and handed him a bottle of his own, Heero walked over to Quatre to have a word with him.

"Is it possible for me to sleep over here?"

Quatre raised his eyebrow and looked at Heero. "Of course, Heero, we have plenty of room. Forgive me if I sound noisy, but why?"

Heero sighed and shrugged. "I just don't want to go home tonight... My father will probably be guarding the door, ready with a breath-test or something to see if I've been drinking. Wouldn't surprise me if he's gotten a lie-detector as well, just to check what the fuck I've been doing."

Quatre chuckled and smiled. "Still doesn't trust your friends, eh?"

Heero snorted and nodded towards Duo. "Still doesn't trust him. I think he thinks that I'm having my way with him, which is true to a certain limit, but what ticks me of is that he doesn't even want to give Duo a chance. My mother has long time ago accepted that Duo is my best friend, and when she found out about my relationship with him she had no problem with that either."

Quatre sighed and looked down into his glass with mixed vodka. "At least your parents give a damn... Trowa's just told his own mother and father about us, but they just waved their hands and told his to do whatever makes him happy. They've seen me often enough, but they've barely said a word to me. They don't really care if I'm here or not. They're so damn busy all the time that they don't have time to get involved in his life so they've just learned not to give a damn."

Heero looked at the blond and gently patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, Quatre..."

Quatre gave Heero a weak smile. "At least my own parents gave us a better welcome. They're just as busy as Trowa's parents, but they still set us down to have a good talk with both of us. My mother simply loved Trowa, and my father loves his hair."

Heero chuckled and smiled. "No wonder... They got the same hair style..."

Quatre laughed and nodded. "That they do! I didn't think about it until Duo pointed it out to me once last year."

Heero laughed too before a bang from the hall caught his attention. Everybody turned to face the entrance to the hall and watched as a slightly drunk Hilde came waltzing into the room. "Hey, ya all party people! Schubeiker's in the house!"

Duo laughed and pointed at the German girl. "I don't fucking believe this, Hilde! It's not even nine yet and you're drunk?"

Hilde giggled and wrapped her arms around Trowa's neck as he followed her into the room. "Duo, I'm not drunk. I'm just warmed up."

Trowa sighed and untangled her from his neck before walking over to Quatre and Heero. "Sorry about that. I had to pick her up at some guy's place and they'd already started to party pretty hard. Luckily, she'd only gotten herself a few beers or she would have been a nightmare to drive with."

Quatre chuckled nervously and shrugged. "Well, I guess we should be happy. And I think that the rest of us will be pretty lost too before midnight strikes."

Heero snorted and grabbed a bottle of beer. "Well, I'm planning on remaining as sober as I can. I have to make sure that Duo doesn't injure his foot even further."

Quatre chuckled and clinked his glass with Heero's bottle. "Well, as long as you'll have fun I won't say anything against it. Just don't expect Duo to be as sensible. Just because he can hold his liquor doesn't mean he'll push his limits a little."

Heero snorted and shrugged. "I'm not his guardian, he can do whatever he wants. Just because we're dating doesn't mean I have a say in everything he does."

Quatre smiled and took a sip from his glass. "I'm glad you're seeing it that way, Heero."

"Hey, Quat! Do me a favour, will ya?"

Quatre raised an eyebrow and looked over at the braided boy in the couch. "What is it, Duo?"

Duo grinned and waved a crutch around. "Well, for starters you can bring me another beer. And you would be a doll if ya can fetch me a guitar. I feel like singing!"

Wufei groaned and placed his bottle against his forehead. "God, Maxwell... What are you going to sing now?"

Duo grinned and winked. "Maybe I'll just dedicate a song to you, baby."

Quatre chuckled and walked over to the table where a vairety of drinks were placed. "Just a minute, Duo. Beer was it?"

Trowa placed his own bottle at the table and smiled at Duo. "I'll go and fetch the guitar."

Duo smiled and gave him the thumbs up. "Thanks, Tro. Owe ya one."

Trowa smirked and grasped the railing of the stairs with his hand. "Consider it as my gratitude that you didn't puke in my father's car this year."

Duo frowned and stuck out his lip in a pout. "Trowa, I have never thrown up in your dad's car."

"And for that, I am grateful." With a wave of his hand, Trowa disappeared up the stairs.

Heero chuckled and sat down next to is boyfriend while keeping his gaze on Hilde. "How long do you think she's going to last?" he asked while taking a swig from the bottle.

Duo placed his own bottle against his lips and put up a thoughtful face. "Well, I'll give her til midnight. She's never missed the countdown on the eve since I got to know her so I guess she'll last until then. Then she'll black out."

Heero smirked and trailed his finger around the opening of the bottle. "Five minutes after midnight?"

Duo smirked back and nodded his head towards the girl. "Give her a little credit, she's stronger than that. I'd say ten."

Quatre sat down on the love seat next to the couch and mused. "I say she won't last this year. She's drunker now than she was last year around this hour."

Wufei nodded and carefully clinked his bottle against Hilde's head. "I'll give her one hour starting now."

Hilde pouted and grabbed Wufei's cheek between her fingers and tugged. "For your information, I've only just begun celebratin'! I bet I can last longer than you."

Wufei yanked her fingers away from his cheek and set onyx eyes against Hilde's aqua-blue ones. "THAT is a deal, woman! You'll see that I can hold my liquor better than you!"

Duo chuckled and placed his hands behind his head. "Well, seems like this year's gonna be just as interesting as last year."

Heero snorted and shook his head in amusement. He'd heard the story. Quatre and Hilde had had a similar drinking game last year, and Quatre had lost with a about half a bottle of red wine. He'd ended up throwing up all over Trowa, who had helped him up to bed before silently cleaning up any other traces of the blonde's earlier dinner. Then he'd promptly passed out on the couch as the clock struck midnight; leaving Wufei, who was just about falling asleep, Hilde and Duo, who was sharing the midnight kiss simply because no one else was available. And as far as Heero understood it, it had been quick and dry because Duo had started get an upset stomach from drinking too much of Quatre's father's whisky and ran away to find a toilet.

Shaking his head as Heero thought that over a billion other teens all over the worlds where doing the exact same thing, he started wondering what the world was coming too. Some shoulders to trust the weight and faith of the whole earth onto. And yet, these guys were the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"Got your guitar, Duo." Looking up as Trowa returned down with a simple guitar in his hand, Heero watched as the banged teen handed it to Duo before sitting down next to his lover and picking up his bottle.

Duo grinned and gently brushed his fingers over the strings, playing the tone scale. "Excellent. Thanks, Tro."

Trowa just shrugged and took a sip from his bottle.

Brushing his fingers over the strings again, Duo played a simple melody before looking at the others. "Any requests? Don't be shy, bring it up."

Quatre chuckled and waved his hand towards Wufei and Hilde who'd just started a staring contest. "Well, those two won't be bringing any cheer anytime soon, so sing something to bring the mood back up."

Duo chuckled and smiled while playing with the strings. "Something funny... How about 'The Penis Song'?"

Trowa groaned and shook his head. "Not funny. We've heard it so many times."

Duo grinned and nodded towards his boyfriend. "He hasn't. Have ya, Heero?"

Heero just shrugged and drank some more from his bottle. "If you're thinking about that song by Steven Lynch, then yes. I have heard it. Amusing once, but I have no need to hear it again."

Duo pouted, but still tried to fish after requests. "Okay, so we don't play 'The Penis Song'. Then you give me some ideas."

Quatre placed the glass against his lips and mused. "How about something nice. No need to go goofy before we have too."

Duo grinned and winked. "Not before we're good and drunk, ne? Okay, you want something nice. How about-"

"Not Linkin Park, Duo."

Duo glanced over at Trowa who in returned stared at him. "Who asked you? And I wasn't going to suggest that, thank you very much. I need a band to play any of those songs."

Trowa nodded and went back to his drink. "That's what I wanted to hear. Not without us."

Duo chuckled and took a swig from his bottle. "Started to wonder if you'd lost your faith in 'em."

Trowa smirked and placed an arm around Quatre's shoulder before sitting back onto the couch, dragging the blond with him down. "Never, Duo."

Quatre laughed before lifting his glass. "Oh! How about one of those drinking songs?"

Duo laughed and patted his hand against the frame of the guitar. "I thought you said you wanted something nice?"

Quatre chuckled and smiled. "Yeah, but those drinking songs are fun and we all can sing them!"

"If anyone knows them. I don't have to remind you that I'm musical incompetent, do I?" Heero deadpanned and drank up the last of the liquid from his bottle before placing it onto the table.

Quatre smiled and handed him a new one. "Then you listen, learn and we sing it again so you can join us."

Heero snorted and placed his back against the back of the couch. "Well, we'll see about that." Smirking, he added. "If Wufei can break away from Hilde long enough to sing along with that drinking song of yours, then I'll sing too in round two."

Duo grinned and brushed his fingers over the strings. "And you've just got yourself a deal, lover." Looking over at the blonde, he mused. "Which song and which country?"

Quatre smiled and chuckled. "Think dresses for men and you'll have my answer."

Duo chuckled and cleared his throat. "Irish drinking song, 'Under the Scotsman's kilt' coming right up."

Heero shook his head and looked at his boyfriend, eyebrow raised. "You actually know any drinking songs?"

Duo nodded and grinned. "Yup. Howard taught me some after he'd been in Ireland a few years back. Me and the guys have had a blast with 'em since."

Heero sighed and decided it was time to finish drink number two and ask for something stronger. He'd yet to meet Howard, but the more he heard about the guy, the more scared he became. By the sound of if, he was quite the guy.

Duo cleared his throat again and took emptied his bottle before placing it onto the table with a small bang. "Ready, people?"

Quatre and Trowa raised their drinks and nodded.

Duo smirked and started singing.

_/Well, a Scotsman clad in kilt left a bar one evening fair._

_One could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share._

_He'd fumble around until he could no longer keep his feet._

_And he stumbled off to the grass to sleep beside the street._

_Ring-ding-didle-didle-la-di-oh! _

_Ring-da-didleiao!_

_He stumbled off to the grass to sleep beside the street./_

Heero laughed and Quatre and Trowa started to clap to the beat while Duo sang with a grin on his face. The song was amusing and Duo's own velvet voice made it joyful to listen too. Clapping his hands together along with Quatre and Trowa, he continued to listen to the song.

_/About that time two young and lovely girls just happened by_

_One says to the other with a twinkle in her eye:_

_See, a sleeping Scotsman, so strong and handsome built,_

_I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt._

_Ring-ding-didle-didle-la-di-oh! _

_Ring-da-didleiao!_

_I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt./_

Clapping his hands together by the sound of Duo's own hand against the guitar, Heero could see out of the corner of his eye that Wufei and Hilde were slowly drawn towards the singing as well. Hilde started giggling and clapped her hands together a little quicker than the beat, but Wufei just crossed his arms and listened to Duo's words.

_/They crept up on that sleeping Scotsman quiet as could be._

_Lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see._

_And there behold for them to view beneath his Scottish skirt._

_Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth._

_Ring-ding-didle-didle-la-di-oh! _

_Ring-da-didleiao!_

_Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth./_

Heero laughed as Duo continued to sing with a big smile on his face and clapped his hands together. Even Wufei was starting to smile and clap along. Hilde had also gotten the rhythm right and was singing along at what was supposed to be the chorus. Quatre had settled onto Trowa's lap and was letting him clap his hands together while he barked out a laugh every now and then. Trowa looked more interested in having Quatre wiggling on his lap, but still smiled and clapped along as Duo sang.

_/They marveled for a moment, then one said: We must be gone._

_Lets leave a present for our friend before we move along._

_As a gift they left a blue silk ribbon tied into a bow._

_Around the bonnies stars the Scots kilt in left at show._

_Ring-ding-didle-didle-la-di-oh! _

_Ring-da-didleiao!_

_Around the bonnies stars the Scots kilt in left at show./_

Heero couldn't help but frown a little at the last sentence Duo sang, but he knew Duo wasn't drunk enough to start confusing the words. But then again, the song was Irish. Perhaps it was just meant to be that way. They did have a few strange sentences. So he ignored the confusing words and enjoyed the rest of the song.

_/Now the Scotsman woke to natures call and stumbled towards a tree._

_Behind a bush, he lifts his kilt and gasped of what he sees._

_In a startled voice he says to what's before his eyes;_

_Lad, I dunno where you've been, but I see you won first price!_

_Ring-ding-didle-didle-la-di-oh! _

_Ring-da-didleiao!_

_Lad, I dunno where you've been, but I see you won first price/_

Laughing as Duo dragged out the last word and drummed his hands against the side of the guitar, Heero clapped before lifting his bottle in a cheer along with Quatre and Trowa.

Drying away tears from his eyes, Quatre hiccuped and took a sip from his glass. "That song cracks me up!"

Duo chuckled and lifted his own empty bottle to wave it towards the blond. "Then you're starting to get drunk, blondie. It ain't that funny." Then he fixed Cobalt blue eyes towards Heero and dragged his hand over Heero's chest. "And I lost the bet too... I was so sure Wufei would start to sing along with me."

Heero chuckled and removed his hand from his chest before entwining their fingers together. "Well, he did sing along with that so-called chorus."

Duo grimaced. "Yeah, but everybody does that. That ain't fun."

Trowa chuckled and lifted his bottle. "Cheers that this was a complete waste of a time, not to mention a beautiful voice that definitley deserves a better song to sing."

Duo chuckled and placed his hands on his cheeks, pretending that he was blushing. "Aww, Trowa... You say the sweetest things to me."

The party continued in comfortable companionship, the level of alchohol in their blood grew and about half an hour before midnight, the party had started to liven up. Quatre and Duo were singing the drinking song again, but only Wufei cared to listen. Heero had placed Duo's crutches in the hall to prevent the teen from staggering around, but now cared less if the teen was dancing around the mansion. All he cared about was to get the braided teen onto his lap so he could make out with him, but Duo kept banging a bottle on his head and told him to wait util the song as finished. The problem was, everytime Heero interrupted, they started all over again. Wufei and Hilde were arguing over a bottle of Vodka that Trowa had long time ago taken and mixed out for the rest to enjoy.

Giving Trowa a slightly dazed over look, Heero slurred out. "How much longer 'til that fucking song is over with?"

Trowa shrugged and drank the last of his vodka. "Beats me, buddy."

Groaning, Heero plastered himself to Duo's side and sighed. "You keep adding stuff just to annoy me, doncha..."

"Aha!" Duo cried out and pointed at Heero with a big grin. "Ya disturbed us again! Quat! From the beginning!"

Quatre cheered and placed his arms around the braided boys neck and started to sing again from the beginning.

Heero pouted and looked back over at the Latin man. "Trowa... You're my pal... And I care deeply for ya... But unless your boyfriend doesn't let go of my boyfriend, I will snap his neck... No hard feelings, but it's the way it has to be..."

Trowa nodded wistfully and patted Heero's shoulder. "No hard feelings... I understand. We must be open about our feelings in order for our relationship to work. I appreciate that you're honest with me."

Heero nodded and patted Trowa's hand in return. "You're a good man, Barton. Very good man."

Trowa smiled and nodded. "I thank you for the words, Yuy." Then his face glanced over and he got a wondering expression instead. "But what were we talking about again?"

Heero snorted and shrugged. "Got no fucking idea." Grabbing Duo almost brutally around the waist, he hoisted the squirming teen onto his lap before placing his hands on his sides. "Me," he deadpanned while trying to focus into Duo's eyes. "Focus on me. I am lonely."

"Aww, baby..." Patting Heero's cheeks, Duo gave him a sloppy kiss on the forehead before slurring. "If ya 'ere lonely, 'ou should 'ave told me."

Heero shrugged and pushed Duo closer so his pelvis rubbed against the braided teens. "I was just a little lonely..."

Duo chuckled and gave Heero a very drunk smile. "Hee-chan... We're so drunk..."

Heero stuck his lip out and mumbled. "You're just trying to talk your way out of kissing me..."

Duo laughed and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend, only to get a hand in front of his face. "Wha-at?" he whined and glared at the owner of the hand.

Quatre just wiggled his finger in Duo's face before placing himself on Trowa's lap while giggling. "No kissing before midnight! There's only a few more minutes left!"

"But I've waited all night!" Heero barked back and tried to glare at the blond, without success since he wasn't able to focus properly. "You're hogged him with that stupid singing, so now it's my turn."

Quatre shook his head and wrapped his arms around Trowa's neck. "Nu-uh! Midnight!"

Duo pouted and rested his face against Heero's neck. "Meanie..."

Deciding to take the party outside so they could watch the firework, Heero lifted Duo into his arms and somehow managed to stumble his way to the front door without walking into something or dropping the braided teen in his arms. Quatre was hanging on to Trowa who looked ready to walk into the wall at any moment. Wufei and Hilde were supporting each other out; each one had managed to get at least a quarter of a bottle of vodka down.

When they got out the fireworks had already started, families with kids had come out so the smallest kids could watch some of the fireworks before they had to go to bed. The black sky was lit up by thousands of rockets, coloring it in bright pink, yellow, silver and many other colors. Loud bangs filled the area and the sound alone was enough to sober Heero up a little. The smell of rocket powder and fire cleared his head even further, and after a minute or two he placed Duo down onto the ground, hand locked around his waist to prevent him from falling. The braided teen also looked more sober than before, the same went for the other four teens, but they couldn't deny that they were still very intoxicated.

"Got any rockets?" Duo asked while burying his face in Heero's neck and started to breathe against the skin there.

Quatre shook his head and giggled. "No, sorry. Don't think that's so smart. We're too wasted."

Heero snorted and hugged Duo close to him. "At least your brain is still functional..."

Quatre giggled and attached himself to Trowa's arm. "Thank you!"

Watching as the hands of his watch ticked closer to midnight, Heero tried to ignore the breathing against his neck and the soft giggling that came from either Quatre or Hilde. He wasn't sure just who it was. The closer the clock ticked towards midnight, the more sure he became that Duo was just breathing down his neck to annoy or tease him.

Wufei was having a hard time keeping awake, but the intense poking from Hilde's finger made sure that he didn't fall asleep when still on his feet. But soon voices from down the street was heard, counting down the remaining seconds and the six teens joined the choir.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

"Five!"

Barely noticing Quatre leaning up towards Trowa for a kiss and Hilde wrapping her arms around Wufei's neck for a hug, Heero turned his own attention to the braided teen in his arms. Wrapping his own arms tightly around Duo's waist as Duo's own arms came sliding around his neck, he stared deeply into Cobalt blue eyes.

"Four!"

For the first time that evening he was able to focus completely and it was if the fog in his head lifted, leaving him with a feeling of being completely sober. He could see Duo's own eyes clear up and a soft smile graced over the beautiful features.

"Three!"

Faces moved closer, their breaths began to mingle, hearts were thumbing fast in their chest, no cares if and who would spot them like this.

"Two!"

Lips gently touched, not kissing as their eyes was locked on only each other. The world could have gone under and they wouldn't have noticed. Now it was only them, the friends around them was completely forgotten.

"One!"

Lips met and started move against each other, leaving a feeling of intoxication much stronger and satisfying than alcohol could ever do. Eyes fluttered closed, and as the clock struck midnight and a new year started, Heero and Duo were sharing their very first kiss for that year, air filled with beautiful colours and stars, and lovers all around the world sharing their love.

"Happy New Year!"

_Author's Notes: Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	30. Crap

**New Hope Home **

New chappie. Our boys has now been friends for half a year, our two favorite boys has been a couple for two months and things are slowly progressing. Read and enjoy as the story continues!

"Crap:"

Heero groaned as he was jolted awake by the ringing of a telephone. Blinking his eyes, he tried to ignore the throbbing in his head and rolled over to his side in search for the thing that caused so much noise.

Locating his phone on the floor next to his bed, Heero picked it up and answered it. "Yeah? Hello? Otasan?"

Groaning as his father's voice filled the phone and sent a wave of pain pulsating through his head, he rolled over on his back and placed a hand over his forehead. "Yes, I'm still alive. Yes, I am fully aware that I didn't come home last night. No, I'm-! Otasan, I'm still with Quatre. No, I-! Yes, I am fully aware that both you and mother are pissed now."

Shutting up as his father continued to give him a lecture, Heero glanced over at Duo, who was curled up on his side and snoring softly. Sighing as Mr. Yuy began asking questions again, he tried his best to ignore the pain in his head. "Hai, otasan. Iie, otasan. Iie, I did not sleep with anybody, otasan! I am fully dressed, I know where I am, I am with familiar people and I am very tired!" Checking his watch, he groaned loudly and barked into the phone. "Otasan, I'm going to hang up now. It's only ten, I fell asleep four hours ago, I am having the teimei1 of my life and-! Hai, I was drinking yesterday! Hai, in'you 2! No, I was drinking soda, otasan, of course I was drinking alcohol! Hai, inshu3!"

"Who is it?"

Glancing over as Duo peeked up from the pillow and yawned, Heero lifted his hand so Duo would remain quiet. As the man on the other line became angrier by the minute, Heero tried to block out the pain his father's voice caused. "Otasan, I am going to hang up now! Hai! No, I do not know when I'm coming home! No, I'm not coming home now!"

Sitting up abruptly, Heero groaned in discomfort before barking into the phone. "No! No, I am going to hang up, I am going to crawl back to bed, I am going to sleep and I am going to come home a soon as I have sobered up and have gotten myself something to eat!" Hanging up, Heero tossed the phone onto the floor before slumping back onto the bed.

He'd never talked back against his father before.

And it felt damn good to finally have expressed some of his feelings to him.

Heero smiled and curled up next to Duo, finding that the braided boy was still awake and was watching him.

"Your dad?" he whispered quietly and moved closer to the Japanese teen.

Heero nodded. "Hai..."

"Was he mad?"

Heero nodded again and put his arm around Duo's waist. "Yeah..."

Duo nodded and looked down before biting his lip and whispered. "I'm sorry..."

Heero shook his head and used his free hand to tilt Duo's face back up while pulling his body closer. "Don't be... I needed to yell at him for a change... And I loved every second of it..."

Duo snorted before letting out a little groan and squeezed his eyes shut. "Just... How much did we drink yesterday?"

Heero shrugged and closed his eyes; the room was still dark, but the little light that was present was starting to get annoying. "I have no idea, but enough to make my head feel like it's going to explode..."

Duo chuckled and raised a gentle hand to cup Heero's cheek. "Still can't hold your liqour, eh?"

"Shut up, Duo..." Heero mumbled back, but still let a content sigh as Duo continued to caress his cheek. Feeling Duo shift a little beside him, he mumbled out in a tired voice. "Watch that foot, Duo..."

Duo nodded and winced a little. "Yeah, I'm watching it... Ouch..."

Heero groaned and got up into a sitting position before mumbling. "Wait, I'll check out that ankle... I wanna see if it's swollen or not..."

Duo nodded and obediently laid down on his back while stretching out his foot. "Be gentle with me, baby..."

Heero snorted and crawled down to the foot of the bed before carefully grasping Duo's leg in his hand. Gently pressing down on Duo's ankle, he searched for any swellings, but found node, despide the small moans that came from Duo. "I can't feel any swelling, but I wanna check it later today when we've both sobered and woken up... But I guess we didn't move around so much after all..."

Duo chuckled, but quickly stopped as his head started to throb. "Yeah... Guess you spent the evening carrying me around or something... I do remember you did that before the fireworks started..."

Heero grunted and crawled back up to the head of the bed before burying his face into the pillow with a groan. He could feel Duo shift beside him and soon a slim arm was draped across his shoulder and a head was placed next to his on the pillow.

"Heero?"

Heero nodded into the pillow before rolling over to his side so he was face to face with his boyfriend. "Yeah?"

Duo gently bit his lip and looked down. "I... I can't remember just... How we got into this bed... And since we're still fully dressed, I suppose we never got around to... Well... Doing anything, but... You think we were..."

Heero gently placed his finger over Duo's lips and nodded. "I guess we were... If, and I say if, we came here on our own, I guess we were intending to sleep together in a more intimate way than we did..."

Duo snorted and smiled. "Intimate..."

Heero frowned and gave Duo a questioning look. "What?"

Duo chuckled and smiled. "Nothing, hon... It's just that you said in that way... It sounded so... Adult."

Heero snorted and placed his arm around Duo's waist before pulling him a little closer. "What can I say? I was raised strictly..."

Duo chuckled before his face took on a more serious look. "I don't mean to sound... Well... Mean and all, but... I'm glad that... That we never came around to do anything..."

Heero quietly studied the beautiful face before him, if not a little green from consuming a little to much alcohol, before gently smiling and placing a tender kiss on Duo's nose, ignoring morning breath and all. "I know what you mean... I don't want us to have our first time in a drunken state... I want our first time to be..."

Duo chuckled and rubbed his nose with Heero's before raising his eyebrow teasingly. "Candle light and roses on the bed?"

Heero snorted, but still let that little smile play on his lips. "Well, not exactly what I had in mind, but..."

Sighing a little as Heero let his hand trail softly over Duo's hip and sides, Duo murmured softly. "The biggest priority for me is that we're both sober and willing... I don't care much for candles and roses as long as we're both there and we're together... Call me a sap and a girl, but... The way I see it... The perfect moment... When we're both willing... It's be perfect simply because... Well... Because we're together..."

Heero smiled softly and placed a kiss on Duo's lips. "That's pretty much how I feel too..."

Duo smiled before letting out a loud yawn. Heero chuckled and rubbed Duo's side tenderly. "Sleepy?"

Duo gave him a sleepy smile and nodded while closing his eyes. "A little, yeah..."

Heero smiled and closed his own eyes. "Then let's sleep... We've only had a few hours of sleep..."

Duo nodded and snuggled closer to Heero, ignoring the slight throbbing in both his head and ankle. "Sounds good to me..."

Heero let himself doze off for a while, and when he finally opened his eyes, both he and Duo were covered by a blanket, the lights had been turned off, and Duo's crutches were by the bed. The cell phone he'd tossed away was lying on the nightstand, shut off. Duo had been placed on his back, his foot was sticking out and by the looks of it, someone had tightened his bandage while they had been asleep.

Carefully sitting up, Heero rubbed his eyes before glancing at his watch. It was just past twelve, meaning that he'd only slept for a little over an hour, but still the nap had worked miracles. His head was feeling better and he was much more awake now that he had been two hours ago.

Glancing over at the braided teen next to him, Heero decided to let Duo sleep on. He would let either Heero or the rest of the "Fallen Angels" know if he needed any help. Placing a little kiss on his cheek, Heero swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and got on his feet. Feeling his head spin a little as he got up, Heero shook it to clear his mind. Opening the door to the room while rubbing his temples, Heero quietly got out and shut the door.

Looking around, he tried to figure out just which floor he was on and in which part of the house. Deciding to let luck drive him, he started to walk down the hall, searching for any familiar signs that could tell him where he was. He'd been in the house many times, but they mainly kept themselves to either the living room on the first floor, the music room at the third floor or Quatre's room on the fifth.

"You lost?"

Looking up, Heero spotted Trowa down the hall and sped up his walking pace to join the banged teen. "Hai... I'm not sure which floor, or hall for that matter, I'm in..."

Trowa chuckled and gave him a little smile. "It is easy to get lost here," he said quietly and looked around. "But no need to worry. We're on the west wing, first floor."

Heero nodded and gave Trowa a tired look. "And just how am I getting to the nearest bathroom?"

Trowa pointed at the direction he'd been coming from before nodding towards the direction he was heading. "I'll be at the kitchen with Quatre and Wufei with coffee on the table. Hilde ain't up yet, nor will she be in the nearest future. And since I was the one peeking in on you and Duo, I'd say Duo won't be showing his sunny face anytime soon either."

Heero nodded and walked in the direction Trowa had pointed.

After relieving himself and splattering his face with some cold water to wake up, Heero walked to the kitchen and sat down. "Oyaho," he mumbled while reaching towards the coffee mug on the table.

Quatre chuckled and walked over to the cabins to fetch Heero a mug. "Good morning to you too, Heero" he chirped and placed the cup in front of him.

Heero just grunted and poured himself a cup of the black liquid.

Wufei groaned and clutched his head on his hands. "Quatre... Must you be so damned loud in the morning?"

Heero looked at Wufei with a raised eyebrow before glancing over at Quatre. "Rough night?"

Quatre chuckled and nodded. "He woke up in Hilde's arms."

Heero chuckled, but quickly stopped as the throbbing started again. "Really now?"

Trowa nodded and sipped on his coffee. "The rumours say so."

Quatre placed a bottle of aspirin in front of Wufei along with a glass of water. "Apparently, at least according to Wufei, Hilde fell asleep on him and he carried, or dragged, her to bed. Then he got so tired that he just tossed himself onto the bed along with her."

Heero smirked and placed the mug back on the table. "Really now?"

Wufei gave him a sour look while popping a couple of pills into his mouth, quickly followed by a few gulps of water. "Watch your own business, Yuy. And just in case you're thinking it; no, I have no plans on starting to date her. You know she's seeing that guy where she lives."

Heero shook his head. "No, I didn't."

Wufei grunted and downed the rest of the water. "Hm... Must be recent then. She told me yesterday while the rest of you were busy with tonsil-diving."

Heero snorted, but still raised his eyebrow over the new information. "Well, it's nice to hear that she's dating someone, but won't that mean that she'll have even less time for the band?"

Quatre smiled as he placed some toast and butter in front of Heero. "Well, that won't be a problem really."

Heero looked at him, still with his eyebrow raised and took a sip from his coffee. "Oh?"

Trowa nodded and pulled the blond down onto his lap as soon as he had put some jam onto the table, and started nuzzling his neck. "We have you, Heero."

Heero choked and spat the coffee back into the cup before he could spray the table with the black liquid. "What!"

Wufei smirked. "We have you. Sure, loosing a great voice and excellent guitar player like Hilde is sad, but I'm sure you'll be more than capable to take her place."

Heero looked from the blond and his lover to the Chinese, then back again. "Are you kidding! I don't know how to sing, let alone play a guitar! I am absolutely no replacement for Hilde!"

Trowa smiled calmly and placed a kiss on Quatre's neck. "We didn't say anything about you having to sing, Heero. We still have Quatre as our second voice in most of the songs."

Heero gave Trowa a slightly sour look and crossed his arms. "Still leaves the fact that I can't play the guitar. Not even if my life depended on it."

Quatre chuckled and pointed at Heero. "Have you forgotten that Duo promised you that he would teach you how to play the guitar before the school year was over?"

Heero gaped for a second before mumbling. "Well, no, but... We haven't played much together since the Christmas party and I can't even remember how to play the A he showed me back at the beginning of the year."

Trowa smiled and stroked Quatre over the neck. "Well, then... I think you'll have to prepare yourself for some music lessons in the near future. Duo Maxwell always makes good of his promises, no matter what the challenge."

Heero winced and sighed in defeat. "You're not gonna let me get off the hook no matter what I say, are you?"

Wufei chuckled and reached over the table to fill up a cup of his own with coffee. "Pretty much."

Heero sighed and pushed the cup away from him before letting his head fall to the table with a soft thump. "Whoopee fricking doo..."

Quatre giggled and reached over to pat Heero's head. "Come on, you make it sound like we're forcing or torturing you."

Heero turned his head enough to send a mild glare to the blond. "That's what you're doing..."

Quatre just laughed before jumping off of Trowa's lap and walked over to the kitchen door. "I'll go and wake the sleeping beauty. It's almost one o'clock and if we let Duo sleep much longer, he'll never be able to sleep when night comes. And you know what he does when he's bored at night."

Heero grunted and nodded in affirmation. Duo had a habit of calling everybody on his phone list when he was unable to sleep and keeping them up until either he or the other person fell asleep. If it was the latter, he would go to the next person on his list. "I don't know what you have to fear," he grunted and supported his head in his hands instead. "I'm the one he mostly calls when he's unable to sleep."

Wufei smirked again and patted Heero's back. "That's because you're his boyfriend. So thank you very much for taking him off out backs."

Quatre sent Wufei a look and crossed his arms. "Wufei, you make it sound like Duo's a burden for us all."

Wufei put up an innocent face, but was still unable to hide the smirk playing on his lips. "Would you be happy if I said he's the biggest burden I've ever had the pleasure of knowing?"

Quatre was about to open his mouth, only to be stopped by Trowa who raised his hand. "Weren't you getting Duo?"

"Right." Quatre nodded and left the room, leaving the three silent teens to fend for themselves. Heero returned his attention to his forgotten coffee, but didn't drink the rest of it. He simply stared at the black liquid as it rapidly cooled down.

Wufei was looking straight ahead, not looking at anything while stroking a finger around the rim of his cup.

Trowa kept his eyes on Heero and at the end, he was the one to break the silence in the room. "Something on your mind, Heero?"

Heero jerked his eyes up from the cup and stared at the Latino. "Huh?"

Trowa chuckled and gestured around the room. "I know that out of our little group of five, the three of us are the most quiet ones, but not even we are this silence and quite honestly, it's getting on my nerves. I know that you're not the first one to speak up, but you seem a little spaced out."

Heero shrugged and shook his head. "Not really. I just don't have anything to say."

Wufei snorted and looked at Trowa. "Leave him alone, Barton. The man has a hang over, we all do. Just because little mister sunshine makes you feel better, doesn't mean his rays of happiness work on the rest of us."

"I got my own ray of sunshine, but he's currently asleep," Heero mumbled and stared back down at his cup.

Trowa started snorting and had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud.

Wufei raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I really don't understand your sense of humor. I really don't. I'm pretty sure that wasn't even funny!"

"What? Did I miss a joke again?"

Heero looked up and turned his head, watching as Quatre and Duo came walking into the kitchen. Quatre had an arm around Duo's waist while the other hand was holding Duo's crutches. Duo was rubbing his eyes with one hand while his other arm was wrapped around Quatre's shoulder for support. His face was covered by a sleepy pout and the normally neatly braided hair was unravelling in some places. Heero could already feel his mood rise several notches.

Wufei shook his head and dragged out a chair for Duo with his foot. "You didn't miss anything, Maxwell. Have a seat, have some coffee, shut up and leave us all alone."

Duo stuck his tongue out, but still grinned as Quatre helped him down onto the chair. "Thanks, Quat."

Quatre just smiled and walked over to get Duo a cup of coffee.

After leaning over to place a quick kiss on Heero's lips, Duo looked around the room before asking. "Where's Hilde? She's not up yet?"

"No, she's up," a sleepy voice behind him replied and Duo turned his head in time to see Hilde walk into the kitchen and slump down onto a chair next to Trowa. "How's a girl to sleep in all this noise? Duo Maxwell, you are the most noisy one I know when it comes to getting you up!"

Duo chuckled and smirked. "Not my fault that you chose a room near mine."

Hilde glared at the braided teen and huffed while pointing at Wufei. "I didn't pick the room. He did!"

Wufei smirked and gave Hilde a smug look. "I did not know that Maxwell and Yuy would choose that room."

Hilde pouted and crossed her arms. "Can any of your assholes bring me a cup with coffee and then leave me alone for the rest of the day?"

Duo chuckled and looked at Quatre. "Quat, give her my cup. I'm pretty awake so I don't need it."

Quatre nodded and handed Hilde the cup. Hilde just grunted and started sipping it before banging her head hard onto the table.

Heero raised an eyebrow. "What's up with her?"

Duo grinned and leaned over Heero to gently pat Hilde's back. "She's hung over."

"Continue that patting and I'll break every bone in your hand," Hilde grumbled into the table and used her hand to swat away Duo's own hand.

Heero chuckled and pulled Duo away from the grumpy girl. "Who's gonna have the pleasure of driving her home?"

Trowa shrugged and pulled Quatre onto his lap. "I'm not sure. Maybe her boyfriend or something."

Duo crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "You mean Dave? I don't think he has his licence."

Wufei looked at Duo. "You knew about her boyfriend?"

Duo nodded. "Yup. She called me the second he asked her out."

Wufei frowned a little. "How come she shared it with you and not with the rest of us?"

Hilde grumbled and looked up from the table before tossed a sugar cube at Wufei. "Maybe because he's my best friend? And I expected the word to come around pretty quickly. After all, Duo can't keep a secret even if his life depended on it."

Duo frowned and crossed his arms. "Hey, I resent that! I'm very good at keeping secrets. I didn't spread the word because I thought you wanted to tell the people."

Quatre lifted his hands and smiled nervously. "Now, now, let's not argue about this. We know now and the word came from Wufei. So there is no need to argue about it."

Duo shrugged and sat back into the chair with a yawn. "I guess..."

Heero finished the coffee before checking his watch. "I guess I should be heading home soon... It's half past one..."

Duo raised an eyebrow and checked his own watch. "It's that late already? Helen's gonna have a stroke."

Heero nodded and groaned. "And Otasan's gonna have my head... So we better head home before we both get either killed or grounded for life."

Hilde checked her own watch before yawning. "Dave's big bro's gonna pick me up at two. If you guys wait, you can get a lift."

Heero shook his head. "No, thank you, Hilde. By the time he gets here, I'll be home." Looking over at Duo, he added. "But of course, if you want a lift, then that's okay. But I have to go now."

Duo shook his head and flashed Hilde a smile. "Thanks, but no thanks, Hilde. I'll have Heero follow me home. It is as he says, we'll be home before Dave's bro gets here. And I need the walk to clear my head up. And I trust Heero to not let me slip on the ice."

Heero chuckled and leaned over to place a little kiss on Duo's lips. "I'll never let that happen... But then we'll have to walk very slowly since I'm not trusting my own legs at the moment."

Duo nodded and grinned. "We'll take out time, babe. After all, we're doomed when we get home. Better enjoy the time we have left before we're either killed or grounded for life."

Heero just shook his head and groaned.

Almost half an hour passed before Heero and Duo were out of the Winner mansion, armed and ready with Duo's crutches. Heero had a secure arm locked around Duo's waist while the braided teen tried his best to maneuver himself on the ice with the help of his crutches. Luckily the streets had been salted during the morning, making the walk a little easier, but it still took them a good twenty minutes to reach the orphanage.

After delivering Duo safely over to Helen, Heero started his own journey back home. The air was cold and the little wind that was around ripped straight through his jacket. His breath came out in white puffs each time he breathed out and he could feel the hairs in his nose freeze together each time he took a breath.

Zipping up his jacket as far as it went, Heero stuffed his hands into his pockets and picked up his pace. He didn't mind the winter, but right now he just wanted to go home, take a warm shower and go back to bed. Hopefully his father would be so angry with him that he wouldn't want to see him right away. He knew what his mothers reaction would be; a shake of her head, a sigh and a sad look. That fished out Heero's guilt much quicker than his fathers screams.

Walking back up the street where Quatre lived, Heero passed the mansion without a second look and continued down the street. He could see Relena's house come closer with every step, but he hoped that she either was as hung over as he was or that she was fast asleep.

Luck being on his side, Heero passed the house without any problems and rounded the corner. Careful to walk on a path that was free from both snow and ice, Heero zipped his winter coat up futher up to throath so that it was no longer exposed to the cold air.

He wasn't looking forward to coming home; after his little stunt on the phone, Heero knew that his father was waiting for him, ready with questions and probably fuming with anger.

With a sigh, Heero shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, making sure that everything was there; keys, cell phone and wallet. He was halfway tempted to turn and go back either to the orphanage or to the Winner mansion, but he knew that he would only buy himself a little more time. It was better to just jump into it.

Snorting, Heero halfway wondered if this was the time to come out with his sexual preferences as well. If he and his father did get into a fight, he would probably just blurt it out, no matter if it served his case or not. But knowing that his father would get, if possible, even angrier and either kick him out or ground him for life, Heero decided against the possibility as his house came into view.

Walking up the path to the front door, Heero could almost envision the face that probably was waiting behind the door. He had never talked back to his father before, never misbehaved and always done what was told. "I've never been allowed to live before," he growled softly as he put his hand on the door-handle and pushed it down. The door swung open without a problem.

Stepping into the hall, Heero listened for any sounds, but was greeted with silence. 'Well, then Okasan's probably in the kitchen or in the laundry-room, while Otasan's in his office,' Hero thought while bending down to take off his winter-shoes. Placing them on the shoe-shelf next to the door, Heero slipped off his black winter-coat next and hung it up on it's spot before walking into the main hall. He couldn't see his parents anywhere so he silently prayed that he would get up to his room in one piece. He simply wanted to lie down on his bed and sleep.

"Heero."

Just as his hand touched the handle of the stairs, his mother's voice found it's way into his head and made him spin around. Winching a little as he saw her sad face, Heero could feel a little sting of guilt. "Okasan..."

Folding a towel she held in her hands, Mrs. Yuy looked at her son with a slightly sad look. "Where have you been? We expected that you would be home after the fireworks had been set off."

Heero rubbed his neck and swallowed heavily. "That was the plan, but... Time kind of slipped out of my hands and..."

Mrs. Yuy cocked her head and continued. "Your father said that you had said that you'd been drinking."

Heero swallowed and nodded. "Yes, I... I drank a little... Alcohol..."

Mrs. Yuy sighed, but still gave her son a weak, little smile. "I am... A little disappointed, Heero... But... Don't get me wrong, I do want you to have fun with your friends, but I want you to be careful. And drinking..."

Heero raised his hand and gave his mother a weak smile in return. "Mother, I trust my friends and we stayed home. We did nothing that will bring shame upon us or that was embarrassing."

Mrs. Yuy nodded, then nodded her head towards Mr. Yuy's office. "Your father will want a word with you. He is..."

Heero sighed and his face lost the smile. "Just say it, he's pissed at me."

Mrs. Yuy nodded and walked over to her son to give him a hug. "I'll be leaving for work in half an hour. You father starts in one hour. You'll have the house by yourself so use it to rest and... Please... Try to not make your father any more upset that he already is... If you keep your cool and tell him what happened, I know that by the time he gets home tonight he'll be fine with it."

Heero nodded and gave his mother a little kiss on the keep. "I suppose it won't hurt if I did some cleaning around here either."

Mrs. Yuy smiled and nodded while running a hand through Heero's hair. "I think he will appreciate that."

As she turned to leave, Heero rested his elbow on the handle and spoke up. "But just so you know... I am not sorry for what happened at that party."

Mrs. Yuy chuckled softly and disappeared into the kitchen.

Heero sighed and turned his head to stare at the door to his father's office. "The dragon's cave," he muttered under his breath while dragging his feet over to the portal that would lead to his doom.

_Author's Notes: 1 Hang over _

_2 Yes, drinking!_

_3 Yes, drinking alcohol!_

_Another hang-over! And I always found that the hang overs you got on New Years eve was the worst. Probably because of all the fire-works. Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee! _


	31. Into the Dragon's Lair

**New Hope Home**

New chappie. Well, Heero's facing his father. Will he blurt out with his sexual preferences or will he continue to drag it out for a while longer? Stay tuned and find out!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Into the Dragon's Lair"

Raising his hand, Heero firmly knocked on the door and waited for his father to call him in. He knew that his father would know it was him; his knock was much more powerful than his mother' knock.

"Come in."

Heero swallowed and opened the door. He hated to be lectured in this room. He didn't like to be lectured at all, but there was something about this room that gave him the creeps. It was exactly like the office his father had when they still lived in San Francisco.

When Heero had been younger, his father had always called him into the office to scold him, but never to praise him. He was dragged into the office; a dark coloured desk looming in the middle of the room atop a round, royal purple rug, surrounded by bookshelves and hideous pictures that seemed to twist themselves into Heero's worst nightmares. His father would then sit down in the chair next to the desk, his back facing Heero before slowly turning around with his chin resting on top of his knuckles, his elbows resting on his knees. And he would give Heero a look that said he was very disappointed with him, that as his son he should have tried harder, done better.

His father had positioned the desk so that it faced the door, so whenever someone walked into the room, he could imidiatly catch their eyes. Over desk hung a painting from Japan. It was a painting of a war between samurais; dead people were scattered across the field and blood covered both the ground and the hands of the people. Even the sky was as red as blood. But what Heero hated about the picture was the lack of compassion on the samurais' faces. They were stoic, almost machinelike. They were trained to follow orders without a second's thought, not caring if they lost their lives or the life of a comrade in the process.

That painting would always stare down at him, even now. It was almost taunting him, telling him that he would be like this too. That he would following his father's every whim without thinking about his own life. Heero truly despised the painting.

Stepping into the room, Heero stopped in the middle of the room, and onto that despicable dark-coloured carped. His eyes stared down, almost in a sign of submission, but the real reason was that he couldn't stand to look up and stare at that hideous painting on the wall. 'Whatever works,' he though while hearing the chair turn slowly around.

"I am very disappointed with you, Heero." His father's voice drifted through the air, surrounding Heero and almost squeezing the very core of Heero's soul. The power in his father's voice became almost overwhelming, even deadly, when he spoke in this room. This was his territory; his home-field. He was the king of the house, but this was the room where his power was at it's peak.

Letting his head hang slighty, enough so his bangs covered the view of that damned painting, Heero closed his eyes and waited for his father's speech to begin. He knew that this would be nothing like he'd gotten before. After all, he'd never been this disobedient before. Drinking wasn't looked upon lightly in his father's eyes, but then again; neither were the people he had chosen to be with.

"I trusted you, Heero," his father started and got up from the chair, keeping his back facing Heero. "But you betrayed my trust. I am... Very disappointed with you. This is not how I brought you up."

Gritting his teeth, Heero could feel his hands tighten into fists. He knew what would come next.

Turning around, Mr. Yuy walked slowly over to his son, hands behind his back and his eyes firmly on the door. "What were you thinking, Heero? I have told you so many times what is right and what his wrong. You're a perfect student, with a brilliant career ahead of you if you only break off with those... With that..."

'Here we go,' Heero thought darkly, but kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

"I knew that boy, that faggot, was bad news the second I saw him. Standing there on our front porch in those clothes, with that hair, wearing that smirk. I knew he couldn't be trusted, I knew that he would decieve you. He has lured you out on a very dangerous road."

'Yeah, and it's called having fun and actually being alive,' Heero thought, but didn't say it out loud. He had promised his mother to keep his tongue in check.

"He has ruined your routine, Heero. He is luring you away from what is actually important; your studies. You're never home anymore, you don't call and let us know where you are or even when you're coming home, you don't study as much as you used too-"

'I am home most of the time, I tell mother where I am and when I'm most likely to be home, I study as much as I need to, and my grades haven't dropped a notch,' Heero added mentally while trying his best to tune his father out.

"This must come to an end, Heero. You must find out where your true loyalties lie. Do you want to actually be something in your life, or do you want to spend the rest of your life sucking cock with those... Those... So-called friends of yours?"

'Oh, if you only knew what I actually want to do,' Heero thought and let a smirk play over his lips. He and Duo still hadn't got any farther than a little mutual touching through each other's clothes; they had yet to see each other naked and excited. But what he had felt only made him more and more excited.

Heero's father didn't notice the smirk and continued with his scolding. "Those... Boys... Those faggots. They are up to no good; I could tell from the moment I saw that long-haired homo waltz through our door. That long hair, those dark clothes. It wouldn't surprise me if he sacrificed cats and chickens in his spare time."

Gritting his teeth together, Heero thought angrily. 'He take care of children in the spare time as well as drawing, and he can't even hurt a fly.' Forcing himself to relax again, Heero just wished for this conversation to be over with.

Feeling a strong hand grasp his shoulder, Heero felt his father shake him hard once so he would look up. Staring straight into dark brown eyes, so very unlike his own Prussian blue ones, Heero swallowed heavily. Trying his best to look neutral, a mask he had always worn when he grew up, he prepared himself for the last part of the conversation. After that, it would be all up to him how he wanted the conversation to go.

"Heero Yuy. You are the son, the last generation of a very noble family from Japan. We have always been at the top of society, always had a good life. I do not want to see your future go down the drain because you socialize with the wrong kind of people. You are my only son and I wish you the very best of life, just like I had the very best when I grew up. My father made sure I never lacked anything, and I went to the finest schools and did whatever my father wished me to do. And look at me now. I am the head doctor at the finest hospital around this area, we live well, and we are happy. Don't you want our family's success to continue? Don't you want to marry and bring our family's good name on to your children?"

Bowing his head slightly, Heero sensed that it was his turn. "I do wish for happiness, Otokooya. I do wish to do my best in life and continue our family name. And when it is time for me to start a family of my own, I do wish to make sure that they will never lack anything, and that they will be successful in life."

Heero's father nodded, but didn't let go of Heero's shoulder. Squeezing it harder in his hand, Mr. Yuy continued. "Then, as your father and head of this house, I wish for you to break contact with those people. A son of mine shall not be brought down by those people."

Closing his eyes, Heero took a deep breath. "Otokooya. I will-"

"Good!" Feeling the pressure on his shoulder suddenly disappear, Heero shot his hand out and grasped his father around the writs. "Otokooya... You didn't let me finish... And you have brought me up to learn that interrupting people is wrong..." Opening his eyes slowly, Heero stared straight into his father's hardening eyes with his own cold eyes. "I will NOT break contact with my friends..."

Hearing a sharp intake of breath from Mr. Yuy's, Heero merely tightened his grip around his father's wrist, giving it the same grip his father had given his shoulder. "I will not break contact with my friends."

"Heero Yuy, you just agreed on my words! Are you lying to your fathers face!"

Heero shook his head calmly, still keeping cold eyes locked with his father's hard eyes. "Iie, otasan. I did not lie to your face. I do wish for happiness and to success in my life. But as far as I see it, I have not had happiness until the so-called faggots came into my life."

Releasing Mr. Yuy's wrist, Heero almost threw the hand away from him before turning his back to his father. "Otokooya... I promised Okasan that I would behave, that I would not make you mad... But I cannot stand here and listen as you throw false accusations at my friends. I cannot stand here quietly and let you remove the only thing that has made me happy since your Odin Lowe died."

Mr. Yuy tensed up before hissing lowly. "Do not bring Odin into this conversation, Heero Yuy."

Heero let out a soft snort and turned around again, crossing his arm in the process. "And why shouldn't I not? He was your friend, wasn't he? You once said that you were like brothers and you cannot deny that the trips he took with me have done me good. All that time in the wilderness, teaching me how to be a real man, just like you wished."

Mr. Yuy's eyes hardened further and he took a step towards his son. "I forbid you to take this further!"

Heero's eyes hardened, but he stood his ground as his father came closer. "You were friends, otasan. Nakamas 1. Yet, when you found out his sexual preferences you cut him out of your life, out of my life. You refused to let him to take me on any more trips."

"He was a fucking faggot, only interested in a hole to fuck! He could have harmed you," Mr. Yuy spat, clenching his fists tightly together.

"He was a good man and he never laid a finger on me! The only thing he showed all of us was friendship, care and love! He loved you dearly, Otokooya, as a brother! He loved Okasan as if she was his own sister! He loved me like I was his son! He trusted you, trusted all of us, and yet when he told you that he was a homosexual, you gave him the cold shoulder and forced him into the cold!" Heero could feel his patience waning and the only thing he wanted to do was go straight for his father's throat.

When his father had told him to cut his friends out of his life, cut Duo out of his life, he had started thinking. Memories from when he was little suddenly flooded back to his mind and one person had appeared among the memories.

Odin Lowe; his only friend in San Fransisco and as dear as any other in his family.

When Heero had been young, Odin had often taken him camping, teaching how to fish, camp, swim and hunt. He taught him how to survive in the wild, taught him every practical thing he would need in life. He had also taught Heero about homosexuals.

As far as Heero could remember, Odin had told him first that he was gay. He had told him that he didn't want Heero to grow up as narrow-minded as his father was and had told him everything about homosexuals. How they were humans too, that they were just like everybody else, but they liked people of the same sex, and that having a gay friend was not bad, but something good because you could learn from them. Heero learned how to have an open mind and not be afraid of the unknown. After all, he was still the same old Odin he had always been. He didn't wear girly clothes like Heero's father often said that they did, he still enjoyed fishing and a good game of football. The only thing different about him was that he liked boys instead of girls. Heero had accepted this, despite that he had been fairly young, only thirteen years old.

The day Odin had finally decided that he could not hide it from Mr. Yuy anymore, hoping that their friendship was solid enough to handle it, but Heero's father had cut him off cold, refusing to acknowledge that his friend was gay and merely shut him out of their lives instead. That had been the last time Heero saw him.

Until...

Feeling his anger rise a little more, Heero hissed coldly. "You didn't even attend his funeral... He had been your friend ever since you came from Japan to start working at the hospital in San Francisco and just about the only one to tolerate your temper, the fucking temper that I have gotten from you... He showed you nothing but friendship, he never made passes on you, never flirted, never wanted to be anything but your friend... And that's the way my friends are too... They don't make passes on me, they don't flirt and they want nothing more than to be my friends..."

Turning away from his father before his temper would go through the roof, Heero added softly. "I thought the day we found out that he was shot... That you would see your errors and grow as a man... That we could attend his funeral as the only family he had or at least as his friends... But even after his death you cut him out of your life, refused to accept that he once was your best friend..."

Taking a step toward the door, he could feel that the power in the room was sinking. "I have always respected you, Otokooya; as both a great man and as my father... But I think that day... Mere weeks before we moved to this place... I think that was the first time I actually lost respect for you... I saw you in a different light... A light I didn't like... And at this rate, I lose more and more respect for you..."

The power kept on shrinking as Heero's hand touched the doorknob, but he didn't twist it around. Not yet. "I am your son, Otokooya... But I will never become you... I don't want to become you... Because I refuse to cut out the best thing that has ever happened in my life..."

And with that, he twisted the knob and vanished out of the room, feeling the powerful energy that had once been there vanish completely, loosing it's hold over his soul. Taking a deep breath as soon as he got out of the room and closed the door, he leaned back against the door and sunk down to the ground. He could hear his father pace for a moment before a chair scraped against the floor.

Then there was silence.

Heero could feel his heart pound in his chest and he could feel the sweat trail from down his forehead as well as down his back. He knew that as a son, he had now disappointed his father big time. But as a man, he had earned a few points of respect. But it meant nothing to him. He had disappointed himself more than his father. He had stood up for himself and his friends, but he had not stood up for the relationship he had with Duo. He had had his chance to tell his father.

But he hadn't done it.

Getting back onto his feet, Heero wrapped his arms around himself and tried to prevent a shiver that went down his spine. He felt so tired and the throbbing from earlier had returned full force. Quickly checking his watch, he knew that his mother and father would leave for work soon and that he would have the house to himself. Hurrying up the stairs, Heero walked into his room and tossed himself onto the bed and buried his face into the pillow. It didn't take long before sleep claimed him into sweet slumber.

Heero couldn't remember what he'd been dreaming, but he woke up with a jolt and a strangled feeling around his neck. Panting slightly and feeling his heart pound in his chest, Heero looked around in the room while clenching his shirt in his fist. His room was dark; only the computer screen provided any light. Rubbing his eyes, Heero turned and checked the time on the digital watch on the night stand next to his bed.

7:47 pm.

He'd been asleep for almost five hours.

Using the back of his hand to rub his eyes, Heero sat up on the bed and yawned before swinging his legs over the side. Looking around the room, Heero tried his best to decide if he was going to take a shower or go down and eat. Feeling the hairs on his arms rising as he suddenly realised how cold it was in the room, Heero decided for a shower and got to his feet.

Not bothering to bring a fresh set of clothes, Heero padded over to the shower, stripping off his shirt as he went. Placing the shirt over his arm, Heero stopped to rest his forehead against the cool wall for a moment. He didn't feel so good, like he was burning up from the inside. Taking a deep breath, Heero swallowed and rested the back of his hand against the wall to cool it off. As soon as it was cool enough, he placed it on his forehead and walked on. The cool skin against the burning skin on his forehead felt good and made a mental note to check his temperature after his shower.

As soon as he got into the bathroom, Heero stripped off the rest of his clothes and dumped the dirty laundry into the hamper. Taking a deep breath, Heero stepped into the shower and turned it on. Sighing as the water hit his burning skin, Heero turned the temperature up a little. He would rather have it colder, but knew that if he was getting sick that it wouldn't help.

Panting slightly, Heero rested his forehead against the wall while the water trailed over his body. He could barely keep his eyes open and he could feel himself shaking. Quickly washing his body and hair, Heero decided that food could wait. He just wanted to crawl back to bed before he passed out in the shower.

Rinsing the soap out of his hair, Heero turned off the shower and stepped out, his legs wobbling beneath him. Quickly drying off most of the water, Heero wrapped a towel around his waist before walking out of the bathroom, ignoring the water that was still dripping from his hair. Wrapping his arms around himself, Heero felt his teeth shattering in his mouth and his legs tremble with each step he took. He was freezing when he finally reached his room and the second his hand touched the knob to his closet, Heero could feel his legs buckle and give away under him. Smacking his head against the door, Heero could feel the pain jolt through his forehead before he fell backward and hit his head on the floor. His eyes rolled into his head before they closed and darkness consumed him.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

_Author's Notes: 1 A very strong/special word for friend._

_Ooooh, what's going to happen now His parents are out of the house, his boyfriend is imobilized. Who will come to Heero's rescue? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	32. Trouble in Paradise

**New Hope Home**

New chappie. It's time for some problems for our boys. Don't hate me, but it's nessesairy to bind the boys a little closer together.

Now, to ease your worries; I am NOT giving this story up! But I'm in a slump and to make sure this story progress without ruining it, I will be a little slower. I have a few chapters ready to be beated, but don't excpet me to update to often since my life suddenly decided to catch up with me. But don't give up on me!

Trouble in Paradise:

Fluttering his eyes open, Heero tried his best to bring the dark room he was in into focus. His head hurt, and somewhere was a phone ringing. Sitting up slowly, Heero touched the back of his head, eyes widening when he felt something cold and wet. Bringing a shaking hand into view, Heero let out a breath of relief when he discovered that his hand was covered with a clear liquid.

Remembering that he'd just taken a shower and was on his way back to bed when he'd passed out, Heero did his best to crawl over to his bed, and using thr brd as a suport, his slowly hoisted himself up from the ground. Lying down, Heero wrapped the quilt around his body and tried to get warm, ignoring the fact that he was naked. The towel had come lose when he'd passed out earlier.

The phone had stopped ringing; the answering-machine had taken care of the message and Heero made another mental note to check it once he had relaxed and heated up a little.

Tucking the end of the quilt over his face, Heero curled up into a ball and tried to warm up. He was still shivering and feeling light-headed, and a bit queasy. His head was still throbbing, and although he was still sleepy, he knew he had no chance of falling asleep again. The only thing he could do was try to gather up as much energy and warmth that he could in his body so he could get dressed and go downstairs for some food. The thought of food made him feel worse, but he knew that he had to have something into his system. He hadn't eaten anything since last night and he'd only had a cup of coffee when he was with Quatre.

_No wonder I'm freezing and feeling so weak,_ Heero thought and tugged the quilt futher up his face. His parents had nagged him about his bad feeding habits; he frequently skipped both breakfast and lunch.This had caused Heero's parents to warn him several times about the dangers in doing so.

_I'm hungry, hung-over and sick... What a wonderful combination,_ he thought miserably and help back a groan that had been biilding up in the back of his throat. Resisting the urge to lean over the bed and throw up, Heero curled up even more, resting his right hand lightly on his stomach. He swallowed rapidly to get rid of the nasty taste in his mouth. He could feel the hair on his arms and legs rise as he continued to shiver, but he tried to ignore it. He'd had worse before.

Closing his eyes, Heero drifted towards slumber, but his constant shivering preventing him from true sleep. After a while, Heero gave up any hope of resting and simply tossed the quilt away before he slowly sat up and moved his legs over the edge of the bed. Rubbing his arms quickly with his hands for a second, Heero got onto his feet and moved back to the closet and opened it. Quickly finding a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, Heero dressed quickly and left the room, ignoring the towel that was still on the floor.

Pressing his hand on his forehead as he walked down the hall, Heero used his other hand to support himself. He wasn't about to take any chances; he had passed out once and, his head was still throbbing and he was still dizzy.

Leaning against the wall, Heero tightly gripped the railing with one hand and moved slowly down the stairs. His legs were barely cooperating with him so he took his time. All he wanted was to curl back into bed and sleep, but he knew he needed food and liquid if he was going to get any better.

Managing to get down the stairs in one piece, Heero took a deep breath and sat down at the bottom of the stairs for a second to catch his breath. The little trip exhausted him and he was freezing. Rubbing his hands over his arms quickly, Heero tried his best to warm himself up enough so that he could get into the kitchen without freezing to death.

Getting back onto his shaky legs, Heero crossed the hall in a few, quick steps and entered the kitchen. Turning on the water boiler, Heero filled the pot with water before turning his attention over to the task of making himself a quick meal. Taking out butter and some ham from the fridge, Heero quickly cut up some bread. Smearing the butter over the slice, Heero tried his best to hurry up so he could get back to the bed as quickly as possible.

Swallowing as he first caught the scent of freshly made coffee, Heero tried his best to suppress the urge to gag while turning the coffee maker off. Putting a slice of ham onto the bread, Heero placed the rest of the ham and the butter back into the fridge before walking over to the water boiler and picked up the pot. Pouring the hot liquid into a cup, Heero put a tea-ag into the cup and picked it up together with the sandwich before walked over to the living room.

Placing the sandwich and cup onto the coffee table, Heero reached over to the phone and pressed a little button next to a red, blinking light. Picking up the sandwich, Heero started nibbling on it while listing to the machine beep and the messages began to play.

_/Hi, Heero, it's mum._

_I just wondered how you're doing; you looked a little pale when you walked up the stairs after talking with your father._

_There's... There's some chicken in the freezer if you wanna cook that and have it for dinner. You are more than welcome to invite Duo if you want to, but if you have him stay the night... Well... Your father won't be pleased if he find out so... _

_Anyway, your father and I won't be home until early tomorrow because we both have to work overtime tonight. We are understaffed because of the diseases running around this time of year._

_Take care, Heero/_

Sighing a little, Heero smiled over his mother's message and shook his head. "Okasan..."

Placing the half-eaten sandwich onto the table and picking up the cup instead, Heero curled up on the couch and listened to the next message.

_/Hey, Heero. It's me, Duo._

_Umm... You didn't answer your cell so I just thought I'd give you another jingle on your home-phone. Yanno, to check if your dad had killed you or something. But since this is the answering machine, I'm wondering if I should call 911 or something._

_But give me a jingle when you're up to it and... Well... Never mind, I guess I'm just being silly... _

_Helen took off my bandages, by the way, and I can almost walk fine on my own. She reckons I'll be fine in time for school next week. I've even finished my part on that project we had on that Poe-fellow. Feel kinda proud of myself._

_So... Yeah... Give me a call when you can._

_Bye/_

The machine beeped again, showing that there were no new messages, so Heero leaned over and pressed a new button, deleting the messages. Picking up the phone, Heero dialed Duo's number and pressed the phone to his ear. Listening to the ringing on the line, Heero tried his best to stop shivering long enough to have a decent conversation with Duo. But after a few seconds, the ringing stopped and connected to the answering machine on Duo's cell.

_/Hey, this is Duo. Leave a beep after the message./_

Biting his lip as he heard the beep, Heero whispered. "Hey, Duo. It's Heero. Sorry that I didn't pick up the phone, I was asleep. Guess I wasn't feeling as hot as I thought, but I've had a nap and I'm feasting on a nice sandwich now so I'm feeling perfectly fine."

Biting his lip, Heero could feel his heart thump in his chest over the little white lie, but he didn't want Duo to worry about him. Having someone hover over him when he was feeling a little under the weather was one of the few things Heero simply couldn't take.

Putting the cup down onto the table, Heero used his now free hand to press the end of the phone a little closer to his mouth before whispering. "I... I already miss you, Duo... I... I wish I could just walk over to you right now, or have you come over here, but... I'm not willing to risk your leg, no matter how well you feel right now..."

Sighing a little, Heero added. "I'll call you later, Duo. I feel funny sitting like this on the phone. Bye."

Hanging up, Heero replaced the phone and picked up his cup again, cradling it close to him. Sighing, he stared at the half-eaten sandwich on the table while sipping the hot liquid. He felt better now that he'd gotten himself something hot to drink, but he still felt tired. His eyes kept on closing and his grip on the mug was loosening.

Getting to his feet, Heero grabbed the sandwich and walked back into the kitchen. Tossing the half-eaten meal into the trash, Heero put the cup in the sink and started to walk back up to his room. Tossing himself onto the bed, he dragged the quilt tightly around his body and closed his eyes, wishing that when he woke up, he would feel a lot better.

Xoxoxoxoxoxox

Three days later, is was the first day of school and Heero was not feeling much better. He was able to keep up his normal appearances so his mother would not start fussing, but once night settled, he was absolutely drained of energy and he was freezing like mad. Duo had called him the day after his own call, but he hadn't talked to him since. Heero simply hadn't found enough energy to make a simple call to his own boyfriend.

Dressing up in a thick sweater and socks, Heero tried his best to prevent himself from freezing before grabbing his school bag from under the bed. Dragging it downstairs, Heero walked straight past the kitchen and into the hall to put on his coat.

When he stepped out into the cold, Heero zipped up his winter coat as far as it would go and tightened his scarf before walking down to the main street on his way to school. He knew that Duo would probably be waiting for him at the usual spot; something he was normally happy about, but he knew that Duo would most likely ask about the sudden paleness of his normally bronze-coloured skin.

Coughing a little, Heero rounded a corner before stopping. Looking down the street where Quatre lived, he tried to see if Duo was on his way or not, but he did not see anyone. Shaking as the cold managed to get through his jacket, Heero tried to move around a little to get the warmth in him. He was already starting to feel a little tired, but he was determined to make it through the day.

Yelping as he felt two cold hands slide under his scarf, Heero spun around and stared as Duo's face came into view.

"Hey, Heero! Sorry I haven't called ya since Saturday, but I was real busy with the kids. We've just gotten another camper and it was a little hectic."

"That's okay," Heero mumbled while tightening his scarf and staring at Duo.

His boyfriend was dressed in a thick, black jacket, but unlike Heero, he wasn't wearing a scarf. His ears were covered with black ear-warmers and his hands in black gloves, decorated with skeleton hands. His nose and cheeks were starting to get red, but other than that, it did not look like the cold was bothering his boyfriend much. Heero also noticed that Duo did not have his crutches now and he could wear his winter boots once again. He was still limping slightly, but walked just fine on his own.

Giving Heero a toothy smile, Duo grabbed Heero's hand and started tugging the Japanese teen towards the school. "As much as I hate saying this, it's gonna be nice getting back into the old school rhythm again. Oh, and I've even brought my half of our project so we can deliver it early. I know you like to be early."

Heero just grunted while wriggling his hand free from Duo's graps and stuffed it into his pocket. "That's good... Then we don't have to stress with it..."

Duo just shrugged and stuffed his own hands into the pocket of his jacket. "Well, it's great to be done early so we don't hafta stress an' all, but..."

"There's nothing to discuss, Duo, so let's drop it," Heero grunted again while keeping his gaze fixed onto the snowy road ahead of him. The lack of energy and the slight fever that tore through his body as well as the frustration that he'd avoided the 'I'm gay and dating a man' subject again was really starting to strain his already violent temper.

Duo raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything against his boyfriend's sudden loss of temper. It was not normal for Heero to just snap, but when he did he usually had a reason for it. 'Must be some problems with his dad again,' Duo thought while chewing on his lower lip. Shrugging with his shoulders, Duo smiles and chirped on. "Hey, want me to tell ya about the new kid we got?"

Heero grunted and shrugged with his shoulders. He wasn't really interested in anything else but getting home and into his own bed, but then again his boyfriend was next to him and he couldn't ignore him either.

Duo raised his eyebrow again, but took the grunt as a "yes" and started to tell Heero about the new kid that had just arrived. "Well, he's a boy, and his name is Mickey. He's five and a real sweety. Suzanne fell for him right away, but she might get adopted soon so it'll be a lost love. But then again, better to have loved and lost it than never to a loved at all, huh?"

Heero grunted again and quickened his pace a little. "Lets hurry. I'm cold and the school's right around the corner."

Duo sped up his speed as well and hurried after Heero. "Yo, what's the matter with you today? You're totally off and you're almost pretending that I'm not existing."

Heero sighed, but he did not turn to look at Duo. "Sorry. I'm a little under the weather and I'm having a little trouble with my father."

"Ah." Dropping the subject, Duo decided that he would ask if Heero needed some help later when they had gotten inside. The last thing he wanted was a fight with Heero, but Duo knew his stubborn boyfriend enough to know that there would be a few harsh words when he tried to pry something out of Heero that he would rather keep to himself.

Separating in the hall with a little kiss, Heero made his way for his history class, while Duo hurried to get to his English class. He knew that he would not meet Heero again until lunch and decided to use the time to gently ask Heero what was the matter.

Heero was having a hard time staying awake during his classes, though his hand automatically take notes while fighting the urge to close his eyes and bang his head on the desk. He was not known for being a slacker and he would be damned if he let a little fever ruin his studies. Feeling the normal, little ache in his heart that missed Duo, Heero also felt the strange feeling of relief from being away from the braided teen.

Discreetly putting his hand on his forehead, he could feel the heat there and cursed softly. The fever was making him snappy and he knew the fever was the cause of the relief he felt at being alone. Heero also relized that if he did not get his fever down somehow he would loose it and end up hurting someone physically or mentally. He did not show it often, but he had the devil's tongue when he wanted to use it and was more than capable of biting his way through things.

Barely noticing that the bell rang, Heero quietly packed his things and started to move towards his next class while silently praying that he would not meet any of the 'Fallen Angels' on the way. He knew he did not look too good and he really did not want to be bothered anymore. He just couldn't take it. He knew that the next two classes he had, he had without his friends, but after lunch he would have to face them.

Music was one of the few classed the five of them shared and Heero knew that he had to confront them there. "Maybe I should just go home," he mumbled while slumping down onto an available chair and waited for class to begin.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Hey, Heero. Feeling a little better now?"

Looking up as Duo came towards him with a tray, Heero just shrugged and nodded. "A little." Looking at the tray as Duo sat down across him by the table, Heero spotted the sandwich and soda. "Could afford lunch today?"

Duo pouted playfully before picking up the sandwich and took a bite. "I decided I could afford it for today, being the first day at school in the new year. I'm feeling that this'll be a changing year for everybody," he chirped after swallowing the bite before taking a new one.

Heero just shuddered at the thought of food and clenched the empty plastic cup in his hand. He had finished his coffee the second he sat down, deperate to get some warmth into his body, but the effect had been short lived and he was freezing again within minutes.

Duo gave Heero a concerned look and placed the half-eaten sandwich down before opening up the soda. Taking a quick swig before putting it down, Duo reached into his bag and pulled out a note book. "Here. My part of the project."

Heero nodded and took the book from Duo's hand before stuffing it onto his own bag. "Thanks. I'll look over it during my hour of freedom."

Duo nodded, but still gave his boyfriend a concerned look. Clearing his throat, he carefully asked. "Heero, you... You don't look so good... You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Heero grunted and clenched the cup harder, hearing it crack as the plastic tore from the pressure. "I told you I am."

"I know you told me," Duo answered and reached out a hand to press against Heero's forehead.

Heero flinched and pushed it away. "Don't."

Duo sighed and crossed his arms instead. "Heero, you tell me one thing, but my eyes tell me another. You're pale and you're shaking and that tells me that you're not alright."

"I'm fine," Heero repeated with a little more force than he had ment to, but he could feel that his tempter starting to rise.

Duo winched a little, but decided to test his luck and press it a little further. "Heero... You do know that you can talk to me... Right? If this is about you-know-what then-"

"It's not!" Heero barked and slammed his hand in the table. "I'm fine so would you get of my back for just a moment!" Glaring at his boyfriend, Heero could feel his temperature rising until it snapped in his head. "God, I've told you a thousand times today that I'm fine, but you always have to nag about one thing or the other! First is this whole coming out in general, then about coming out to my father, then it's your fucking leg that I have to constantly watch for you and now this! I am fine, Duo! Fine! Let me do this in my own way and just get of my case! I don't need your fucking help!"

Duo blinked for a second before his eyes darkened and he got up, placing his hands hard onto the table. "Fine. I will. Sorry for being a bother for you, Mister Yuy." Gathering the tray and his bag, Duo gave Heero a glare of his own and hissed. "I'm sorry I care and worry about you. It's a thing I normally do with my friends and especially with my own boyfriend. It's a nasty habit I have, I know and I'm trying my best to get rid of it. And don't you worry, I won't come and bother you anymore today." Then he turned away from the table with an angry whip from his braid and left.

Heero blinked and could feel the eyes from everybody in the cafeteria on his face. His face was still stormy. Then it slowly dawned for him. "Oh... Shit..." Feeling his heart suddenly started to pound in his chest and the angry expression melting away, Heero grabbed the table hard with his hands. He had just fought with Duo. For the first time since they gotten to know each other, they had had a serious fight. "Oh, no..."

Sitting up adruptly, Heero groaned as his head started to throb and he was forced to sit down. Placing his head in his hands, Heero let out a stream of curses and closed his eyes. He had not meant to say what he said, it had just happened. His temper had flared up and now he had hurt the person he cared for the most. But the words had been said and now it was up to him to fix the damage.

Sighing, Heero started to think about how to approach Duo and to talk to him. He knew he had hurt Duo, perhaps enough to jeopardize their relationship. Heero knew that Duo had only wanted to help, but he had declined and tossed it back in his face and just about blamed Duo for his own cowardice. He knew very well by doing so, he had done just about everything he had sworn he would never do. "God, I even promised Wufei I would never hurt him..."

Feeling like he wanted to cry, Heero remained in the cafeteria until it was empty. Then he got up, gathered his things and left to sit in the library.

_Author's Notes: Uh-oh, now this isn't good. Will Heero be able to apologize to Duo or is this the end of their relationship? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	33. What to do Now?

**New Hope Home**

New chappie. Well... What now? What will Heero do about his current situation? Will he let Duo come to him, or will he suck up his pride and go to Duo? Or will he listen to his father and remove Duo from his life? Stay tuned!

"What to do now?"

Looking over the papers he'd scattered over the desk, Heero sighed and tried to focus on his homework. His head was pounding and there was an unbearable ache in his heart. The fact that he knew that Duo was mad at him, that they had just hit the first rock in their relationship, was tearing at him and he felt scared. "I shouldn't be here," he mumbled and clenched his head in his hands. "I should go and find Duo and talk with him... Apologize to him..."

Swallowing heavily, Heero tried his best to get rid of the lump in his throat and settle his stomach. He wasn't feeling so good, he was cold and his heart was beating fast in his chest.

Looking at the papers with an empty look, Heero stared at the book Duo had given him. Stared at the slightly messy hand writing and badly formulated sentences. Stared at what he knew was a job well done from Duo's side and hadn't even given he a word of gratitude. Duo had worked on this while he'd been down with his ankle, using his free-time to finish this in good time before it was to be turned in. He really had worked hard on it and all to please Heero.

Clenching his head, Heero pulled his face back in an angry expression and let out a loud snarl. He couldn't believe he'd made such a big mistake, snapping over something that wasn't even Duo's fault. "Why didn't he back off when I told him too," he groaned and sighed heavily. "Then I wouldn't have snapped... Damned..."

"Sounds like you have something on your mind."

Looking up, Heero watched as Trowa leaned against the wall, reading a book. "Barton."

Chuckling a little, Trowa let a tiny smile play over his lips before pushing himself away from the wall and put the book back on the shelf. "So we are on last-name terms no? That can't be good."

Heero glared a little before returning his gaze to the papers on the table. "Leave me alone. I'm not in the mood for small-talks right now."

"I'd say," Trowa quipped and dragged out the chair next to Heero's and sat down. "It's all over the school, you know. The perfect student and Black Hole's beauty had a major fight and is breaking up."

"We're not breaking up," Heero snarled before he had the chance to bite the words back. His head was still throbbing, he was cold and the fever was still running high. Heero knew that as long as he was sick, he could keep on loosing his temper, blaming other people for his situation.

Trowa paid no attention to Heero's outburst and picked up one of the papers that was scattered over the table. "I'm just telling you the words around the halls. About half the school saw and heard your outburst and, of course, they're drawing their own conclusions." Fixing a green eye on Heero's slightly pale face, Trowa asked softly. "So what happened?"

Heero sighed, but still couldn't fight away the annoyed expression on his face. He really didn't want Trowa meddling in his business, didn't want Trowa to know why he had snapped. But then again, Trowa was a friend, a 'Fallen Angel' like himself. Trowa would understand, he didn't staple people before he had all the facts. "I..." Heero started and sighed. "I snapped..."

Trowa raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms onto the table. "Well, I already knew that. What I wanna know is what you told Duo for him to get so sad. He's both pissed and sad with you, Heero. I really didn't think you of all people had that in you."

"Oh, I do," Heero replied dryly, but kept his eyes fixed on the papers. He didn't want to look Trowa in the eyes right now. He couldn't bear to look into those green eyes, eyes that could pierce his soul like nothing else.

Trowa snorted and shook his head. "Well, you have certainly proved that, Heero. None of us thought that you would be able to hurt Duo like that."

"Will you stop saying that I hurt Duo! I am fully aware that I did and I hate every fucking second of it! I'm guilty enough as it is!" Panting slightly, Heero discovered that he was suddenly standing up, his chair was lying on the ground and the papers had been pushed down from the table. Trowa was staring at him with a big, green eye and was suddenly looking a little afraid.

Sighing, Heero kneeled down and started picking up the papers that was scattered around the floor. "Gomen... I didn't mean to snap like that..." Picking up Duo's note book, he discovered that it had fallen open in the middle of the book. Picking it up, Heero stared at a little drawing at one of the pages. It was of him and Duo, hugging. Heero had his arms wrapped around Duo's waist from behind, holding him very protectively and giving a look that clearly said 'Mine!'. Duo was smirking and looked like he had no hurry in getting away from Heero's grasp.

"He felt safe with you, you know. He trusted that you would be different, that you would never hurt him."

Looking up, Heero spotted Trowa on is knees, picking up the remaining sheets of paper that was scattered. Looking back down on the drawing, Heero could feel the guilt grow bigger.

Trowa looked back at Heero and added softly. "I don't know what you said, Heero, but I know you had your reasons. But I also know that whatever it was, it hurt Duo badly."

Heero sighed and sat down on his knees while clenching the note book in his hands. "I basically blamed him for my own cowardice..."

Giving Heero a curious look, Trowa sat down onto his ass and nodded. "Go on."

Looking down at the note book, Heero tried his best to formulate the words. "I... I'm tired of hiding, Trowa... I'm tired of hiding what I feel and who I am from my father... But...I don't dare to talk to him about... About my relationship with Duo..." Looking up at Trowa, he added weakly. "Don't get me wrong, I couldn't care less about what people think of me. I am very proud of my relationship with all of you guys and I'm proud of having Duo as my boyfriend..."

"I hear a 'but' in that sentence, Heero," Trowa added quietly, eyes still fixed on Heero.

"I suppose there is a 'but' in the sentence." Carefully closing the note book, Heero got up and placed it along with the other papers on the table. "I... I have a horrible temper... You know I do... I got it from my father, I'm sure..." Looking at the papers, Heero almost hoped that the words scribbled over the white surface would formulate the sentences for him, but knew that would never happen. "I had a fight with my father right after the New Years party we had... He wanted me to cut contact with you guys and I told him no. I... I ripped up a few old wounds in the process and I had the best chance yet in coming out to him, but... I didn't dare to... I am working on breaking free from the chains he's put around me, but... I'm scared of him..."

Trowa nodded and got up. Placing the papers he'd collected beside the others, he remained silent for a moment before speaking up. "I understand your situation, Heero. At least I think I do. Despite your believes and desires, you still feel that you're your fathers son and you still wish to please him the best you can. And the fact that you are struggling between two strong powers right now, your heart and your father, is tearing on both your soul and temper so I guess it was just a question of time before you had to get the air out."

Heero nodded, but left out the part about him being sick and even more moody than usual. He was sure Trowa knew anyway. "Something like that, yes...

Trowa nodded again before adding quietly. "Too bad Duo was there when the bomb went off... He got all your frustration in the face, formulated in a way so it seemed like he was the bad wolf instead of you."

Heero nodded again and sighed. His head was pounding furiously and he could feel how the energy left his body. "What am I going to do, Trowa? I wanna talk with him, but would he wanna talk with me? Have I..."

Shaking his head quietly, Trowa gave Heero a little smile and placed his hand on Heero's shoulder. "You haven't wrecked things, Heero... Duo is mad yes, even hurt, but give him a day to cool down and think about the situation you're in. Then you can talk with him tomorrow and explain the situation to him." Smiling a little wider, Trowa added. "And I know that Quatre is talking to him right now. We kinda split up so we could talk to you both. My job was to make you think a little about what you had said and done, Quatre job was to make Duo think a little. Though, I must add that you're the one to blame in this situation."

Heero gave Trowa a little glare and growled. "Don't push your luck, Trowa..." Then he sighed before giving Trowa a little smile of his own. "So... I guess a thank you is in order..."

Trowa smiled and shrugged. "That's what friends do... And we'd all hate to see you two break-up. You clearly love and need each other."

"Love..." Heero tasted a little on the word. He'd never really thought about that feeling, but now that Trowa had mentioned it, it was obvious. "I do love him..."

Trowa chuckled a little and smiled. "We know that... And Duo knows that too... He'll forgive you... Just give him a little time to cool down; his temper and grudge can be just as mean as the next person. He may be more understanding and forgiving than most, but he can still hold a grudge for a while."

"And he has every right to," Heero grumbled and sighed. "He's human..."

"And so are you," Trowa added and patted Heero's shoulder. "And it's human to make mistakes. You made a mistake, you shut up when you should have talked and the result was screaming. Learn and move on." Smiling warmly, Trowa squeezed Heero's shoulder before getting to his feet. "Quatre's talking with him right now, Heero... He'll make Duo calm down a little and once he's done that Duo will regain his wit and think about the situation. You'll be fine..."

Heero sighed again and murmured. "I hope so, Trowa... I sincerely hope so..."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Bouncing the ball between his feet, Duo tried to glare a hole through the wall from his spot in the gym. He was all alone in there and every time the ball bounced of the ground, it created an echo in the room. Everybody was probably having class or was done for the day, but Duo didn't feel like having any more classes for the rest of the day.

'I'm ditching my two last lessons... So fucking what? I don't care,' he thought and bounced the ball against the wooded floor. 'Bet Heero would have a fit if he saw me now..."

Feeling his brows knit together in a frown, Duo caught the ball between his hands and pressed it. He wanted to squeeze it so hard that it popped and then watch as it shrunk inside before crumbling into a limp piece of rubbed. 'The closes thing I can get to letting the air out of a certain Japanese asshole's head,' Duo thought darkly and squeezed even harder.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Looking up, Duo saw Quatre walking towards him, bag in his hand and a sad smile on his face.

Turning his attention back on the ball, Duo started bouncing it again while grumbling. "I suppose you've heard, huh?"

Quatre nodded and sat down next to the braided teen on the bench. "A little hard not too. It's the hottest news around the school."

Duo snorted and bounced the ball harder onto the floor, making the echo even louder. "It's not their business," he snapped while the ball bounced from the floor to his hands. "And what's so fucking great about it. It's just a couple having an argument, it happens everyday."

Quatre shrugged a little and watched as the ball left Duo's hand and bounced back onto the ground before flying back up again. "You know why, Duo... despite the comments and looks you two are the most popular couple around school."

Duo snorted and caught the ball. "It's just cause we're gay. The sad case dating the hot new guy and have a fight mere two month after they started dating." Sending the ball hard onto the ground, Duo watched as it swooshed back up, into the air and back down before it slowly started to move away from the bench he has seated on, the bounding decreasing as it went. "I don't even get why he was so fucking mad at me," he growled and tightened his hands into fists. "But he sure acted like it was my fault that he turned gay, that it was my fault that I even existed. I didn't ask to be born!"

Quatre placed a careful hand on Duo's shoulder and spoke softly. "Duo, don't say that... Whatever reason Heero had to snap, I'm sure... I mean, I'm sure he had his reasons. Maybe he's having some problems at home or-"

"Then he could have told me!" Duo barked back and gave the blonde a little glare. "For goodness sakes, that's why I'm here, ain't it! I told him that if he had problems with anything then he can talk to me!"

"Maybe this is something he wants to settle on his own," Quatre offered and looked Duo into the eyes.

Duo huffed and turned away while crossing his arms. "Well, then he's asking for me to ask about what's troubling him. He's just about asking for us to have a fight, damn it! He knows that both me and him have got a foul temper and he knows that when I see that something's bothering him, I'll keep on asking him until he gives me a proper answer or reason for not wanting to tell me about it. A little 'I wanna solve this myself, Duo' would have been enough, but he goes on and yells that I'm a pain in the neck." Sighing, Duo hanged his head slightly and grumbled. "Some loving boyfriend... I honestly thought he would be different... I mean, he is, but..."

Quatre gave Duo a sad look before taking one of Duo's hands and squeezed it. "Heero is different... Peter used you while Robert tried too... But Heero doesn't... Heero respects you, likes you, even loves you... And even though what he said stung, I'm sure he had his reasons for snapping. I'm also pretty sure that he didn't mean what he said. After all, you didn't stick around long enough for him to say sorry."

Duo gave Quatre a look and huffed. "Would you after getting that bomb in your face?"

Quatre bit his lip and thought about it. "Probably not," he admitted after a while, but quickly added. "But I would have contacted him after a while and demanded an explanation."

"And I will," Duo replied before pulling his hand back. "But not today. I need a day or two to calm down or else I think we'll end up strangling each other." Sighing a little, Duo placed his elbows on his knees before supporting his head in his hands. "Am I that pushy, Quat? Am I really that annoying to people?"

Quatre smiled and shook his head. "No, Duo... You're not... You're just saying what you feel and think..." Placing an arm around Duo's shoulder, Quatre pulled the braided boy a little closer to him before gently rubbing his arm. "Heero likes you a lot, Duo... When he's talking to me and Trowa in class, he never says a bad word about you. He likes you very much. I'd go as far as saying that he loves you."

"Loves me, huh?" Duo let his lips pull into a tiny smile before it quickly vanished. "He's... Never said that to me..."

"Some words are hard to say," Quatre replied softly. "Trowa didn't tell me he loved me before after the first time we made love... And I didn't dare to tell him just in case he thought I was being too pushy." Then he let the smile turn a little more teasing before quipping. "And I bet you've never told him those three words either."

Blushing a little, Duo let the hands drop from his head and folded them instead. "I... Well... Aww, just shut up, Quat! You know I have a hard time just opening my heart like that. I've had it broken one time to many."

Quatre smiled and softly murmured. "But I think Heero would be an excellent keeper of your tender heart, Duo... I think he'll take good care of it... You've already opened up so much to him, you basically gave him your life story the first time you met him and that's saying something. You are a friendly guy by nature, Duo, but I have never seen you become so drawn or friendly towards anybody like that before... And I think that's saying something."

Duo nodded. "I suppose it does... There was just something about Heero that made me want to share everything with him..."

Quatre smiled and gently nudged Duo's side. "Also called love at first sight, huh?"

Duo snorted before letting a little smile play over his lips. "Yeah... I suppose it is..." Looking up at the score board on the wall, Duo chewed on his lower lip while trying his best to sort his thoughts out. "Quat?" he asked after a while before turning to face the blonde. "Do... Do you think I should talk with Heero? Get this mess sorted out? I... I don't wanna fight with him, but there's still this part of me that's pissed at him..."

Quatre scratched his neck a little before shaking his head. "No... Let him be for a little while... I know Trowa's talking with Heero and I'm sure he'll make Heero see what he's done, if he hasn't seen it already. Let him have this day to think and I'm sure everything will be better in the morning."

Sighing, Duo looked down at the floor. "I hope you're right, Quat... I hope you're right..."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Heero didn't remain at the school to attend his last class for the day. He was starting to feel both nauseas and annoyed by the looks that was now sent his way in the halls. People were whispering behind his back, but Heero knew what the deal was. He was tempted to yell that it was none of their business, but he didn't want more attention drawn to him.

'Get together with a guy and people barely bash an eyelash, but have a fight with said guy...' Growling under his breath, Heero walked to the teachers lounge and notified Noin, his music teacher, that he wouldn't attend her class today because he was feeling under the weather.

The trip home was the loneliest trip Heero had ever made. He missed Duo's company, missed his voice and laughter. He missed Duo. Rubbing his forehead a little, Heero could feel the hot and slightly slick skin under his fingertips. Today simply couldn't get worst.

"Heero!"

Obviously, it could.

Winching, Heero could feel himself shivering from the crass voice and his already sour mood dropped even lower.

Before he could react, a blur of pink attached itself to his arm and the overly-sweet scent of a too familiar perfume filled his nostrils. Feeling sharp nails dig themselves into his jacket before the voice started to speak again.

"Heero, where are you going? Can I come with you?"

"Leave me alone," Heero grumbled and tugged weakly at his arms while picking up his pace. "I'm not really in the mood to talk with you right now. Or ever for that matter."

Relena stuck out her lip in a childish pout. "Aww, I heard about what happened in the cafeteria. But I must say that breaking up with Maxwell was very smart. He doesn't deserve you. Honestly, screaming at you like that-"

"He did not scream at me," Heero snapped and used the last of his strength to rip his arm free. "-and we did not break up!"

Relena just smirked and reached out for Heero's hand. "Oh, Heero. Breaking up is never easy, but going into denial is just silly. Now you can use your time on more important things, like me. I know this cute, little cafe-"

"Relena," Heero groaned and stopped before reaching up his hands and started to rub his temples. "I am not feeling so good right now so I'm just gonna say this once. One, I am gay, meaning; I have no interest in women, let alone you. Two, we did not break up. We are still together and we'll remain together for as long as we have the desire to. We merely need a night alone. Three, I wanna be alone since this is the worst day of my life!" Giving Relena a tired, yet powerful glare, Heero started to walk fast towards his house while yelling over his shoulder. "And don't even think about following me home! Then I'll run over you with my dad's car!"

Relena sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Heero... That explains so much... That sickness must be clouding over your thoughts, making you unable to take any good decisions... But don't you worry. I'll make sure that Maxwell leaves you alone."

"You wish."

Feeling something cold hit her at the back of her head, Relena screamed in shock as something cold and wet broke through her hair and trail down her spine. Spinning around, she glared at a girl dressed in black and a snowball in her hand. Frowning, she snarled coldly. "Hilde Schebeiker..."

_Author's Notes: Ooooh, two chicks standing up against each other. One with a brain and looks, the other with... Umm... A pink wardrope? Anyway, was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	34. Sisterly Love

**New Hope Home**

New chappie. We left Hilde and Relena facing each other, one with a much bigger advantages than the other. Who will win the battle (like that's so hard to figure out)? And will Heero and Duo make up?

"Sisterly Love"

"Hilde Schbeiker..."

Hilde raised an eyebrow and tossed the snowball into the air before catching it again. "Relena Darlian. Now that we've been introduced again after so many moths apart, may I ask why you're hanging on my brother's boyfriend's arm?"

Relena crossed her arms and stuck her nose up in the air. "Your 'brother' just broke up with Heero. I am just being a good friend and helping Heero through this rough time, not that he can be this sad about loosing that braided slut."

Glaring, Hilde flung the snowball towards Relena's face, missing her by scant inches as Relena let out a yelp and ducked at the last second. Quickly gathering up enough snow for a new snowball, Hilde spat. "Don't you call Duo that! You're more of a slut that he is, Darlian! You have slept with way more guys than he has! At least he ain't a player like you!"

Relena snorted and gave Hilde a smug look. "I can't help it that I'm more desirable than that damn faggot Maxwell!"

Hilde pretended to gag and rolled her eyes. "Please, having cavities is more desirable than you are."

Relena just bristled before turning her back to the black-haired girl. "Leave me alone, Schbeiker. I have better things to do than talk to you."

"Oh, that's rich. That's fucking rich. Little Miss Relena Darlian is afraid of the big, bad Hilde Schbeiker. When are you going to grow up and realize that you can't have everything you look at! Your father ain't gonna be there, paying for your bills all your life!"

The slap was loud enough to make the empty streets echo and the force of it was powerful enough to send Hilde backwards while clenching her cheek. Glaring daggers at the pink-dressed girl's retreating back, Hilde clenched her hands into fists and lunged after Relena. Grabbing her shoulder, Hilde turned Relena violently around and bent her face close enough so that their breaths mingled. "Listen, Darlian! I normally don't hit people, but you are giving me way too many reasons why I shouldn't just beat you into a bloody pulp right now!"

Relena hissed and squirmed her way from Hilde's grasp. "Don't speak to me like that, Schbeiker!"

"Or what," Hilde spat back. "You're call your daddy? Listen, your father or your money don't scare me, neither does your brother! All I'm saying is that you ought to leave Heero and Duo alone before something bad happens!"

Relena glared back. "Is that a threat? Are you threatening me, Schbeiker?"

Hilde glared and let a little smile play over her lips. "Maybe I am... All I'm saying is that if I ever find out that they've broken up because of you, I'll get very, very mad."

Relena smirked back and quipped. "They already have."

Hilde's eyebrow raised and the smile disappeared. "What?"

Relena smirked and crossed her arms. "They already have. They had a fight in the cafeteria this morning and rumours all over school are saying that they've ended the little fling. About time Heero caught to his senses, hanging around with you and that faggot hasn't done him any good."

"Can it, Darlian!" Hilde spat while rubbing her temple. She didn't get this. The last time she'd seen them they had seemed to be doing just fine. Looking up at the pink-dressed girl, Hilde hissed. "Listen, Darlian. I don't know what's happened, but I know Duo well enough to say that he wouldn't break up with anybody because of a fight, especially when that somebody is Heero. And I think I can confidently say the same thing about Heero."

Relena smirked and used a finger to twirl her sand-colored hair. "Oh, but they have. And I think it was Heero who ended it too."

"If they ended it," Hilde snarled and bent down to make another snowball. Packing the snow hard, Hilde gave Relena a look while hissing. "You stay away from both of them, Darlian, or I'll make you pay. And that ain't a threat; it's a promise!"

Then she tossed the ball hard, straight in Relena's face, smirking in satisfaction as she watched the girl cry out in pain, making streams of mascara trail down her red cheeks. Then Hilde started to run towards Heero's house, hungry for some answers.

Meanwhile, Heero was busy trying to heat himself up. The house felt like a refrigerator and he halfway wondered if it would be warmer inside the refrigerator. Watching as his hands shook, Heero waited desperately for his coffee to be done so he could get some heat back into his body. His hands were trembling; he got the chills every time he heard a sound and his teeth were shattering. He could feel his muscles contract every time he shivered and his head was pounding like crazy.

Keeping a close eye on the coffee-maker, Heero sat down at the kitchen table while blowing some warm air onto his hands to keep them from trembling. Swallowing a little as the red light on the maker turned off, signaling that the coffee was now ready, Heero found a mug and filled it with the hot liquid. Taking a small sip, Heero made a face over the taste and the way it made his stomach curl, but ignored it. He was desperate to get warm and wake up.

Jumping a little as the door-bell suddenly rang, Heero dropped the mug onto the floor and groaned as the mug shattered and the hot contents splashed over the floor. Looking from the mess on the floor to the direction of the still ringing door bell with a slighty panicked look, Heero let out a stream of curses before hurrying to the door. Opening it roughly, Heero barked. "What?"

Hilde raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Well, that's a nice greeting, Heero. Think those briefs you're wearing are a number to tight for you."

Heero glared at her before mumbling. "I wear boxers, Hilde."

Hilde smirked and pushed Heero aside, strolling into the house. "I'll take that as your excuse for being a rude bastard." Looking around the hall, Hilde whistled and grinned. "So this is where you live? When I think about it, I've never been inside your house. Just knew the address from Duo."

Heero just grunted again and closed the door so the little heat that was inside the house wouldn't escape. "Can I help you, Hilde?"

Hilde ignored him and continued to look around. "Wow, your house is really high class. Not as big as Quatre's mansion, but it's great none the less. Were your family high class in Japan or something?"

"We were known," Heero mumbled and walked back into the kitchen to clean up the mess on the floor. "What are you doing here?"

Hilde followed suit and sat down onto the kitchen table while watching as Heero picked up the broken mug. "Did I scare you when I rang the bell?"

"I didn't expect any company," Heero answered while tossing the pieces into the trash. "What do you want, Hilde?"

"I want to know what the hell your problem is."

Looking at Hilde, Heero could see that the smiling face was suddenly serious. Her arms were crossed across her chest and her foot was tapping the floor.

Crossing his own arms, Heero raised an eyebrow while trying his best to suppress his body from shivering. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't give me that crap, Yuy," Hilde barked and untangled her arms to point a finger at him. "I know what happened at school today! Why the hell did you do that?"

Sighing, Heero lowered his head and let his bangs cover his face. "Word sure gets around fast these parts..."

"Not really," Hilde grumbled while looking at Heero. "But I got to hear it from Darlian. I came here so you could tell me that she was just messing with me, that she was lying as another desperate attempt to get you in her cluthches... God, why did you have to comfirm it!"

Heero sighed and shrugged. "Because I'm a jackass?"

"Damn straight you are," Hilde barked before shaking her head. "But why, Heero? What made you snap like that? You and Duo were doing so well."

Heero bit his lip and closed his eyes while chewing on the answer. Silence filled the room, the only noise being the ticks from the clock on the wall. Letting out a deep sigh, Heero mumbled. "I'm... not even sure, Hilde... It's just... I am so sick and tired of hiding..."

Hilde cocked her head while looking at the stoic teen. "What do you mean?"

Sighing again, Heero untangled his own arms and leaned against the kitchen counter. "I've already had this talk with Trowa, so I'll be brief... Long story short, I chickened out for the thousandth time when it came to coming out to my father and it is getting on my nerves. Finally I snapped, and Duo was there to take the blow..." Hanging his head still, Heero murmured out softly. "I honesly didn't mean for him to get all that in his face... I'd kinda saved it up so I could spit it out to my father..."

Hilde sighed and gave Heero a weird smile. "You know you're an idiot, right?"

"I am fully aware of that, Hilde," Heero quipped back and gave Hilde a weird smile of his own.

"You also know that Wufei's gonna scream your ears off, right?"

Heero nodded again and looked down at the floor. "Also a fact I am painfully aware of."

Hilde cocked her head and stuck out her lip a little. "I hope you know what you have to do."

Heero nodded firmly, instanty regretting it as the dizzyness from earlier came rushing back. "I know," he managed to groan out while pressing his hand against his forehead.

Hilde looked at him for a while before she hopped off the kitchen table and walked over the Japanese teen with a concerned look. "Heero? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Heero grunted out, squeezing his eyes tightly together and gritting his teeth as his head started to pound madly.

"Liar." Pressing her hand to Heero's forehead, Hilde tried to find out if Heero had a fever, but found that his forehead was surprisingly cool. Yet the Japanese teen was gritting his teeth together as if he was in great pain, he was pale and droplets of sweat came trailing down the man's forehead. "Heero, you are sick."

"I am not sick," Heero grunted out and removed the hand from his forehead. "I am perfectly fine."

"You're just one of those cowards that can't take the thought of being sick," Hilde barked out and grabbed Heero's arm. "You don't have a fever, but that doesn't stop anybody from getting sick and you, you dickweed, are sick. You are shivering, I can tell by the look in your face that you have a headache, you're sweating; classical signs of a sick man."

Heero just grunted, but didn't rip his arm out of Hilde's grasp.

"You have to go to bed now," Hilde continued and started dragging Heero out of the kitchen and into the hall. "Now, which room is yours."

"Up the stairs, first room to the right," Heero mumbled with a sigh while letting the black-haired girl dragged him up the stairs and into his room.

"Nice," Hilde said as she guided Heero to his bed and turned on the light. "Your room is cleaner than I'm used to, which doesn't really surprise me." Grinning, Hilde winked at Heero while pushing him down onto his bed. "So, where do ya keep your dirty stuff? Under your bed? That's where Duo used to hide his stuff."

Heero grunted and pushed Hilde's hands away from his shoulders. "I don't have any dirty stuff. I have no need of it."

"Aaaah." Grinning, Hilde nodded towards his computer. "You got your stash on your computer, right?"

Heero groaned and placed his hand over his eyes. "Hilde... Did you come to yell at me, help me or just to annoy me? Because if it is the latter, I'll kick you out of here. I have no trouble hitting a girl if she gets on my nerves enough."

Hilde smirked and cupped Heero's cheek. "You won't hit me and you know it. You're a softie."

Heero gave the smug woman a tired glare and mumbled through gritted teeth. "I hate you so much right now..."

Hilde chuckled and winked. "Tell me where you keep your aspirin and I'll find one for you. You sound like you need one."

"In the bathroom, under the sink in an orange med-kit," Heero mumbled while closing his eyes.

Hilde nodded and vanished from the room, leaving Heero to his misery. A few minutes later she returned with two white pills in her hand and a glass of water. "Here, Heero," she murmured while popping the pills into his mouth and helped him take a big gulp of water. Watching as Heero swallowed the pills and laid back onto the bed, Hilde brushed some hair out of Heero's slightly flushed face. "Listen, Heero, I can't stay long... Dave's bro is picking me up in a few minutes and I would like to talk to Duo a bit before I leave. But do you want me to call somebody, get you somebody that can stay with you? Want me to call Duo and make him come over?"

Heero shook his head and groaned. "Duo's mad at me... I hafta talk with him and square up, but I want to do it after he's calmed down... I'm not in any shape to deal with him right now... I want to be clearheaded and fair when I talk to him, not pissed and unreasonable from being ill..."

Hilde nodded and put the half-empty glass on the nightstand. "Understandable. But I dunno if I'm very comfortable with leaving you alone. Heero, you seem pretty darn sick to me..."

"I'll be fine," Heero murmured and gave Hilde a weak little smile. "I'll just have myself a nap and I'll be okay when I wake up... I appreciate your concern, I do, but to be honest, that fussing is getting on my nerves and I am mere seconds from kicking you out of my house."

Hilde chuckled and smiled. "You're one of those guys that can't take fussing, aren't ya?"

Heero nodded and took a deep breath to calm down. He didn't want to snap again at somebody who was completely innocent. But then again, Hilde was the least innocent person he knew...

"Well, I'll be off now."

Opening his eyes, Heero watched as Hilde walked over to the door and turned of the lights. "Hilde," he mumbled and closed his eyes. "Please... Don't tell Duo that I'm sick... I don't want any fussing..."

Hilde was silent a long moment before she uttered a low "Okay," and shut the door behind her. Heero listened as Hilde's steps vanished down the stairs and a few moments later he could hear the front door open and close. Then it was silent.

Sighing a little in relief, Heero opened his eyes and let them adjust to the dim light in his room. His computer was humming softly, and the screen provided the only light in the room. With a little groan, Heero slowly sat up and fished out his phone from his pocket. Staring at the screen, Heero wondered if it was smart to call Duo and ask if they could talk. He knew that the braided teen didn't hold a grudge for a very long time, but he had really hurt him with his words. That Heero was sure of.

Sighing, Heero decided not to call and put the phone beside the glass on the table. Staring at the items, Heero wondered what he was going to do now. He desperately wanted to call and make up, but he didn't dare in fear that Duo would just hang up on him. He wanted to talk when they were face to face, and when he was well enough to think straight without flaring up at every little thing that bothered him.

Slumping back onto his pillow, Heero let a hand cover his eyes before he slowly closed them, hoping that when he opened them again, it would all prove to be just a bad dream.

_Author's Notes: Well, Heero doesn't seem well at all now, does he? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	35. You Get What You Deserve

**New Hope Home**

I know you all have been wondering what has been up with Heero lately and it's time for me to give you the answer you've all been waiting for. It is time for Heero and Duo to make up, but not after giving Heero just what he deserves.

You Get What You Deserve:

Heero remained in bed the rest of the day and when his alarm clock rang the next morning, he blurrily tried to find the location of the annoying sound so he could shut it off.

Pushing himself up from bed, Heero could feel the little energy he had disappearing and leaving him drained even before he had gotten out of bed. Slumping back down onto the mattress, Heero wondered if it would be best to remain at home that day, but then his heart ached slightly.

His heart started to pound wildly in his chest as he remembered what had happened the day before. Squeezing his eyes shut, Heero let out a small groan while trying to stop himself from crying. He was so tired and frustrated; all he wanted to do was to crawl back under the quilt and stay there.

After a few minutes of heavy breathing and shivering, Heero felt around his nightstand for his phone so he could tell one of his friends. On his phonebook, he stared at Duo's number a long moment before dialing up Trowa's instead. He knew that out of the four in his crowd, only Trowa would simply tell Heero's teachers without telling the others he was sick. QUatre ould mother him, and the two other frineds were mad at him. He did not want anyone hovering over him, he just wanted to rest and recover in peace.

Quickly typing Trowa a quick message, Heero hoped that Trowa would see it before class started before placing the phone onto the nightstand and curled back up in his bed. He knew that his mother would notice that he had not gone to school that day, but right now, that was the smallest of his worries. He half-way wondered if Duo would look at him as some sort of wimp since he was absent from school the day after their fight in an attempt to avoid the conflict they had had. He also hoped that Duo knew him well enough to understand that was not the case; Duo was smart, he was able to put two and two together and come up with the right answer. But the braided teen was most likely still feeling hurt from his words and could draw the wrong conclusions.

Sighing, Heero curled up tightly, ignoring the fact that he was still fully dressed. He had not bothered to strip out of his clothes since Hilde's visit yesterday, he had just about slept through the whole day and had not come down for dinner when his mother had called him.

Looking up as his phone beeped, Heero reached out a slightly shaky hand and grasped the phone. Seeing that the message was from Trowa, he sighed in relief as the banged teen had notified the teacher without telling Quatre, Duo or Wufei. He knew that they would notice that he was not there sooner or later, but hoped that Trowa would be able to talk them out of seeing him.

Swallowing a little, Heero placed the phone back onto the nightstand and curled up again. He did not want to be here, did not want to be home. He wanted to go to school, and talk with Duo and make up.

Letting himself fall into a restless state of sleep, Heero wondered just was he was going to say when he saw them all again.

Heero remained in bed for the rest of the day, slipping in and out of slumber. He barely noticed when his mother came in and checked on him, but he still let out a sigh when he felt his mother's cool hand on his forehead. She checked to see if he had a fever, but Heero's forehead was cool. She let Heero stay in the room, but still brought him a small meal when the evening came.

When night had come, Heero was more awake, but still remained in his bed. He was grateful that nobody had come to see him, but at the same time he was surprised. After eating the meal his mother had brought him, Heero finally undressed and slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt instead. He was still cold, but knew that sleeping another night in his clothes would do him no good.

As he folded his jeans and placed them over his chair, Heero's eyes landed on the phone on his nightstand. Picking it up, he was surprised to see that there were five messages. Sitting down on his bed, Heero opened is inbox and read the first message. It was from Quatre.

_/Heero, how are you?_

_Trowa told me that you were sick, but told us not to visit you so..._

_How are you feeling?_

_Hope you become well soon._

_Quatre/_

Heero snorted and typed him a quick message to reassure him that he was fine before opening the next message.

_/Barton told us you were under the weather so I suppose it's only natural for me to wish you well._

_But your ass is toast when I see you are ready to keep your stance against me._

_I will at least have a very serious talk with you._

_Wufei/_

Heero couldn't help but chuckle when he read the message and quickly typed that he would be ready to accept his punishment when he was back at school before opening the next.

_/Hey, handsome._

_How are you feeling?_

_I didn't want to leave you alone yesterday, but since you insisted..._

_How are you feeling now?_

_Talked with Duo yet?_

_Give me a beep and let me know you're alive._

_Hilde/_

Heero couldn't help but smile again as he read the message and typed her a message to reassure the black haired girl that he was feeling better before opening the next message.

_/Heero_

_I notified the teacher like you asked me to and I made sure that the others would leave you alone._

_Duo didn't like it._

_Trowa/_

Feeling his heart skip a beat as he read the message from Trowa, Heero typed a shot message to thank the banged teen. Duo obviously was not happy about leaving Heero alone and gave Heero a feeling of being cared for.

Opening the last message, he couldn't help but smile as he read.

_/Hey, Hee-chan._

_Get well soon, okay?_

_So we can talk._

_Duo/_

It was short and didn't give much, but to Heero it meant the world. Duo was willing to talk with him and that meant that they had a pretty good chance at fixing things between them. Typing a quick message to thank the braided teen, Heero placed the phone back onto the nightstand and laid himself on the bed.

Maybe things would turn up okay after all.

Despite Heero's wish to get out of bed and meet his friends, he stayed in bed for another two days because he felt dizzy. When the alarm rang early Thursday morning, Heero got out of bed and felt surprisingly well. After a quick, refreshing shower, Heero got dressed and walked downstairs. Seeing that his parents were already gone, Heero made himself a quick breakfast and ate it in silence. While staring at the wall. He was still feeling a little queasty, but he felt better than he had for the past few days.

When he saw it was time to go, Heero put on his jacket and shoes before grabbing his bag and walked out of the house, shutting and locking the door behind him as he went. Walking in silence towards the corner where he usually met Duo, and sometimes Quatre, Heero hoped that Duo would be there and wait for him.

His stomach leapt as he saw the familiar black clothed figure by the corner and hurried over to the braided boy. Walking a little slower as he got closer, Heero watched as Duo turned around and gave him a little smile. "Hey, Heero."

"Hey," Heero murmured back while shifting his feet a little, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Duo bit his lip before nodding down the road and shrugged. "We should go..."

"Aa," Heero replied and started to walk, not sure if he was going to offer Duo his hand or not. He felt strange, not walking hand in hand like they normally did, but he could not blame the braided teen either. He was probably still feeling hurt.

"Second class is P.E," Duo started in an attempt to break the silence, but he didn't look at Heero. "Are you feeling up to that?"

Heero nodded and patted the bag that hung from his shoulder. "I think so," he replied and threw a quick glance at Duo. "I'll take it a little easy."

Duo nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'll have to pass. My ankle won't be able to take it, not yet."

Heero nodded and looked ahead as he walked, not daring to glance over at Duo. Not wanting to see if there was any anger or sadness present in his eyes. "That's good, Duo. I don't want you to hurt yourself." 'I can manage that just fine on my own,' he thought bitterly to himself while shoving his hands into his pockets.

They walked in silence for the rest of the way, but when they walked into the school and down the hall, Duo murmured softly. "Listen, Heero, I... I know that... That you were sick and... Well... I know you had your reasons on Monday for... Saying what you said, but... It stung, man... But I want us to make up so.. Can we like, meet after P.E.? Yanno, like... Meet up in the cafeteria during lunch or something?"

"I'd like that," Heero murmured and gave Duo a little smile. "I owe you an explanation."

"And a big one at that," Duo shot in and crossed his arms.

Heero winced at that, but did not say anything against it. "I know," he ended up saying after a while and gave a little shrug with his shoulders. "But just so you know, my... Behaviour can't really be justified anyway... I just... It's complicated..."

Duo gave Heero a little smile and for the first time that day, reached over and cupped his cheek. "Then I'll hear it at lunch... See ya in P.E..."

Heero nodded and reached up to give Duo's hand a little squeeze. "Yeah... See you in P.E..."

With a last smile, Duo turned and walked towards his own class room while Heero sighed and walked into his own class and sat down on the chair. He was starting to get a little headache again, but figured it was probably because he was nervous over his talk with Duo. He was thinking so hard about how to formulate his words because he did not quite know what to say, but knew he had to say something. He had promised that.

As soon as the bell rang, Heero packed his books into his bag and hurried to the locker room to get ready for P.E. As he slipped of his sweater, Duo came into the locker and placed his own bag next to Heero's. Giving Duo a little smile, Heero nodded before slipping on a t-shirt. "Hey, Duo."

"Hey, Heero," came a quiet reply from the braided teen and Heero watched as Duo sat down. Slipping off his jeans, Heero watched as Duo automatically handed him his sweat-pants with one hand and his shoes with the other. "Thank you," he murmured and took the pants from Duo's hand, letting his finger stroke quickly over Duo's hand.

Seeing the little smile from Duo as Heero pulled up his pants made Heero smile in return, creating a stronger hope in his chest that they could straighten the mess up.

"I'll just go into the gym and wait."

Looking up from tying his shoes, Heero nodded as Duo grabbed his pencil-case and a sketch book from his bag, and started walking towards the door. "Hai," he mumbled before packing his belongings and placed them into his locker. Ignoring the slightly sour looks he got from some of the other boys in the room, Heero simply walked out of the locker room and down a hall before jogging into the gym.

"Alright, people," Zechs yelled as soon as the class was gathered and he had taken attendance. Passing a ball to the team captain of the basketball team, Zechs continued. "The B-ball season's coming soon so I thought we'd have a little match today. Find yourself a ball and warm up and I'll decide on teams while you get ready."

The class nodded and walked to the storage room to find balls. Heero jogged over and managed to snag himself a halfway decent ball before starting to run around the hall, bouncing the ball and occasionally shooting it towards the basket. His eyes kept drifting over to the stands where Duo was seated, sketch book balanced on his knees and pencil drifting across the page as he drew.

The class warmed up for fifteen minutes before Zechs blew the whistle around his neck and clapped his hands together. "Line up," he barked before placing his hands on his hips. Blowing some of the long, blong hair out of his face, Zechs sighed and made a mental note to tighten the ponytail so his hair would not keep escaping.

Splitting the class into two teams, Zechs made sure each team was evenly represent before sending several players to the bench as reserve. Snatching up the best ball he could find, he made the tallest member of each team stand up so their were facing each other. "Okay, I want a fair fight," he barked before blowing the whistle and tossed the ball into the air.

Everything after that was automatic for Heero. He snatched the ball whenever he could, feignted around the other players and shot when he had the chance. After a while he could feel the energy he had stored up during the day was suddenly draining away and his vision was starting to blur. With a little groan, Heero stopped with a hand placed over his forehead.

"Hey, why did ya stop, Yuy!"

Looking up as the team captain ran towards him, Heero lifted a hand and swallowed. "I'm fine, Rogers," he mumbled before bending over, placing his hands on his thighs as he took a deep breath. He didn't get why he was feeling so dizzy again, he had been feeling fine all day up to now.

"Well, get back to the game then, Yuy!"

Ignoring the look he got from the captain, Heero flipped him the finger before going back to breathing a little more steadier.

"Yuy, are you okay? Need five on the bench?"

Looking up at Zechs, Heero shook his head and waved his hand. "No, I'll be fine in a second. I just got a little dizzy."

"You sure, Yuy?"

Heero nodded again. "I'm fine." Noticing the little look of worry that had appeared on his boyfriends face, Heero was quick to flash him a smile. There was no need to make him even move worried and annoyed with him.

"Heads up, Yuy!"

"Huh?" Turning his head, Heero barely managed to register the ball that came flying in his direction before it connected with his skull and sent him to the ground with a loud thud. Banging his head hard against the wooden floor, Heero got an odd sensation of deja vu before his vision blurred. He could hear voices yell around him, and he could feel the vibrations of footsteps on the floor as people came running towards him. Blinking a little as a blurry face suddenly appeared over him, Heero could barely see Duo's blue eyes before everything went black.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Heero, you are such a dick!"

Blinking a little, Heero swallowed heavily while pressing his hand to his forehead. "... What?" Sitting up slightly, Heero tried to focus in the bright white room he was in, only to get a pair of strong hands on his shoulders pressing him back down. His head started to throb and he could not help but let out a little moan.

Duo huffed and wagged his finger in Heero's face. "Don't you try and get up, mister. You've just blacked out and I'll be damned it I'll let you move around after a knock out like that!"

Swallowing a little, Heero sighed as the hands disappeared from his shoulder and instead pressed a cold cloth to his forehead. "Arigato..."

"You're welcome..."

Opening his eyes completely, Heero watched as Duo sat down next to the table he was on and gave him a worried look. "Heero... Why didn't you tell me you were this sick?"

Heero swallowed again and closed his eyes. "Because... Because..."

"I know, Trowa told me that you'd told him that you hate fussing... But... That makes your little outburst a little more sensible... Justified, no, but more understandable."

Heero shook his head weakly before moving his head to look more directly at Duo. "Duo... My outburst wasn't sensible or anything else... It was a fuck up from my side, shutting up when I should have talked... It's just... I am so mad with myself and the fever just made me madder and..." Sighing, Heero closed his eyes and winced a little as the throbbing in his head got worst.

Feeling Duo stroke his cheek gently, Heero let out a little sigh and whispered. "Duo... I am so sorry for acting like such a jerk... I honestly didn't mean too..."

"Well," Duo murmured before bending down and placed a little kiss on Heero's lips. "You're my jerk..."

Heero couldn't help but chuckle and cracked an eye open to look at Duo. "Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

Duo chuckled back and cupped Heero's cheek. "You're at least in my good book again..."

"Okay, you two. Break it up."

Looking up as a lady dressed in a white medical coat with two brown braids framing her face, and a stethoscope came towards them with a clibboard in her hands, Heero coughed a little and closed his eyes. "Hey, Sally."

"Heero," she greeted back while looking down at the clipboard.

Duo raised an eyebrow before looking down at his boyfriend. "You two seem awfully familiar with each other. You been here often?"

"She's an old friend off mum," Heero murmured while closing his eyes. "They went to high-school together. She used to life in San Fransisco as well before she got transferred. I had no idea she got transferred her though." Blinking a little, Heero looked around the white room again. "Where is here anyway?"

Ignoring the question from the slightly pale boy, Sally looked over Heero's medical record before picking up his hand and pressed her fingers against the vein in his writs. "Well, your pulse has slowed down a little. That's good. It was going almost a mile a minute when Maxwell and Merquize brought you in here."

Heero groaned a little as the head ache got a little worst before grunting. "What happened?"

"Well," Duo began while fiddling with the end of his braid. "You got a ball in your face, you went down and smacked your head in the floor before passing out. Zechs carried you out to the car and rushed ya to the hospital because that thud sounded pretty nasy, we were worried that your skull might be cracked or something. That's pretty much the gist of it." Nodding his head towards the door, Duo added. "He's waiting for us down in the lobby. He said he would drive you home."

Opening his eyes, Heero watched as Sally lifted up his shirt and pressed the stethoscope to his chest before pulling it away again. "Maxwell, help Heero sit up straight."

Nodding, Duo placed a hand around Heero's shoulder before helping the Japanese teen sit up. Dragging up Heero's shirt again, Sally placed the stethoscope to Heero's back. "Breathe in, please."

Taking a deep breath, Heero tried his best to ignore the throbbing in his head and focus on what Sally was doing.

Instructing the teen to take a few more breaths, Sally listened to Heero's lungs and heart before bending back up. "Heero, have you been suffering any dizziness? Are you moody, had any loss of appetite, anything unusual?"

Heero chewed on his lower lip for a second before speaking. "Well, I am very moody and I have had a loss of appetite. I have suffered from a little dizziness and I fainted in my bedroom a few days ago... I've also been feeling very tired and cold, even though I'm sweating."

Sally nodded and wrote Heero's words down on a medical report before walking over to a locker and unlocked it. Looking up a needle and a few syringes, Sally placed the items into a kidney-dish before walking back to Heero. "I would like to take a blood sample as well as a few other samples and have them sent to the lab, Heero. If that is okay with you, of course. If you'd rather have your doctor doing this, then that's fine as long as it gets done."

Heero shrugged and offered his arm. "Just go ahead. I don't really mind either way."

Sally nodded and picked up a black rubber band. Slipping it around Heero's bicep, she tightened it before picking up some cotton and wetting it with alcohol. The vein swelled and Sally wiped it over with the cotton before inserting the needle. Pulling back on the plunger the syringe began to fill with blood. When the syringe was nearly full, she released the band and slipped the needle out, pressing a wad of cotton against the tiny hole. "Hold your fingers against the cotton for a little while," she said as she took the syringe and its contents back to her desk.

Heero pressed his fingers to the cotton while watching Sally transferred the blood into four different vials and corked them. She then wrote on labels before sticking them to the vials. Once finished she tossed the empty syringe and the needle into the 'special' container and turned back to Heero. "I have one more test I would like to do."

"Go ahead," Heero mumbled while looking at the piece of cotton he was pressing against his arm.

Nodding, Sally located a thin oiece of metal wire with a piece of cotton attached to the end. Walking back to the table where Heero was seated, she placed her hand on his forehead and made him turn his face in her direction, but slightly upwards.

"Umm," Duo started as he watched Sally work. "What are you doing? That looks like those swabs they use on C.S.I."

"And just like the detectives in C.S.I, Duo, I'll take a sample with it. " And with that, she showed the wire into Heero's nose, earning a little yelp of shock from the Japanese teen.

After a few seconds Sally pulled the string out and placed it inside a brown envelope which she sealed and labelled. Heero rubbed his nose while staring at her, still in shock over what the nurse had just done.

"What the hell," Duo choked out while staring at the nurse. "Why did you do that?"

Sally just smiled. "I just needed a sample of Heero's snot."

"A snot sample?" Duo raised his eyebrow while stroking a hand over Heero's cheek. "No need to just stick that up Heero's nose, was there? I mean, if ya wanted snot then make him blow his nose and you'll get all the snot you want!"

"Easy, Duo," Heero replied while sniffling. "She needs a sample that's a little further up my nose."

Sally nodded and placed the labeled items next to Heero's report. "That's right." Folding her hands together, Sally gave Heero a strict look. "Now, I don't know why you are here, Heero, but I do know that you shouldn't be here at all. You should have stayed home in bed."

"I had something I had to do," Heero mumbled out before looking carefully at Duo.

"Well, either you fix it during the next five minutes or it'll have to wait because I want you to go straight home and to bed."

"Don't worry," Duo chirped and flashed Heero a little smile. "He's done with his business here so he can go to bed."

Sally nodded and started to write something down on a note. "I'll write you a prescription for some antibiotics. I'm sure you can ask your parents to pick it up for you. You'll get the results from the test in a few weeks."

Heero nodded and started to slide down from the table when Sally came rushing back and made him sit back down.

"You are not going anywhere. I'm not done with you."

"Huh?" Blinking in confusion, Heero looked back up at the doctor, only to get a hand on his forehead and the light from a small flash-light in his eyes. Automatically closing his eyes, Heero tried to push Sally's hand away from his head.

"Open your eyes, Heero."

Groaning a little, Heero cracked his left eye open and let Sally go on with her business. After a moment, Heero let her repeat the action with his right eye and when she was done, he closed them before starting to rub his palm over them.

Duo gave Sally a curious look before looking at Heero. "That's the same shit your mum did to me when I fell on the ice."

Sally nodded while looking through a book. "Then you might get what I am searching for too."

Duo nodded. "Head trauma."

Sally nodded again while placing the flashlight onto her desk and grabbed the clipboard from her drawer. "Correct. Heero is suffering from mood-swings, dizziness, loss of appetite.These are classic symptoms for head trauma. He mentioned that he fainted a few days ago and that may be the reason why he is suffering from it." Sitting down next to Heero, Sally started to feel around on Heero's head. "I want you to take it easy, don't stress around. You have a very mild concussion, your pupils reacted just fine so I'd say you'll be back in shape in a few weeks."

Heero nodded and watched as Sally finished fastening the bandage and moved back to her desk. Sending Heero a little smile, she murmured. "Have your mum take a look at you. Now, go home and stay in bed."

Nodding, Heero started to move down from the table, only to get Duo's arm wrapped around his waist. Giving Duo a little grateful smile, they started to move towards the door. Stopping for a second, Heero turned to face the nurse and gave her a little smile. "Thank you... Sally... For... Everything..."

Sally chuckled and waved her hand. "No need to thank me. But if you insist, then thank me by going home and getting some rest!"

Heero smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am..."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

A few weeks later after Heero's incident in P.E, the test results came from Sally's blood sample. Heero had choked when his mother had read him the letter that Heero had Chlamydia, blushing in a deep red while spluttering that he had never had sex with anybody. His mother had quickly reassured him that he didn't have the sexual disease, but a lung infection called Chlamydia Psitacci, or Ornithosis, a virus that had probably been dormant in Heero's body for a while. 1 Heero had visibly relaxed even further when his mother explained that the disease came from being in contact with birds or animals that hunted for birds. It was not transferable from human to human, something Heero was very glad to hear since he'd kissed Duo more than once since he'd become infected.

His concussion hadn't been so bad either, something Heero was very happy about. His mother had told him to be calm and not stress about anything since he was still in the risk of fainting. Heero was more than a little annoyed to hear that the antibiotics that Sally had prescribed him did not work against Ortithosis, but his mother had picked up his prescription and told him to take the pills three times a day for a month.

Duo had a hard time keeping his snickers at bay while Heero told him about the disease, claiming it was probably Quatre's cat, Sandrock, that was to blame for Heero's illness. Heero agreed with his braided boyfriend on that and silently swore to never to pet the damned cat again. They also made up for Heero's outburst; Duo understood that the mix of being sick, pissed at a certain Japanese man and suffering head trauma was enough to make everybody a little annoyed.

A few days after Heero started his new treatment, his mother allowed him to go to school, but he was to take it easy or he could faint again. P.E. was out of the question, something Heero was halfway glad for, halfway disappointed with.

But no matter how annoyed he was with loosing almost a month with school, Heero was also happy. Duo had forgiven him and they were friends again.

Heero intended to keep it that way.

_Author's Notes: 1 I had this disease three years ago. You get something that looks like a cold, then goes over to a lung infection. You get cranky, tired and at times very ill. It's such a bitch and it's not something to brag about having._

_Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	36. Happy Valentines Day

**New Hope Home**

I know what you all are thinking. "It's about time for the boys to get their grooves on, roll in the hay, do the horisontal mambo, make the matress dance, get the peg in the hole" and so on. Well... What can I say? Expect... Your wish is my comand. Ladies and Gentlemen: It is almost time... For the last step.

Happy Valentines Day:

Three weeks after Heero was diagnosed with a light head trauma as well as suffering from Ornithosis, he finished his treatment and was cleared. He could feel that both his temper and mood in general was lifted several knotches, his appetite was back and the normal fluttering he felt when he was with Duo was back.

Everything was back to normal.

Wufei had let him go with only a little fussing and a threat with bodily harm if Heero ever hurt Duo or kept something like this from them again. Duo has also made him promise that the next time something about his father, or anything at all bothered him, Heero would come to him so they could talk about it and find a solution; lack of comunication was only one thing that could destroy their relationship. Heero didn't want to think about other things that could threathen their relationship, he would deal with it if it ever crossed their path.

By the time february came rolling around, Duo's ankle was back to normal, Heero was tested negative for Ornithosis and any head trauma was healed. He was also back in the "Fallen Angel's" good book, but Hilde still sent him a few sour looks every now and then.

The school had completely forgotten about Heero and Duo's little fight as soon as they came back hand in hand, but both teens could see that Relena was less than happy that the two of them were back together. Heero finally dared to go back into the cafeteria now when he didn't get strange looks send his way; it was not the looks in general that bothered him, it was the thought behind them that ticked him off.

Greeting the members from the "Fallen Angels" as he entered the cafeteria, Heero placed himself next to Duo and placed a little kiss on the braided teens lips. "Hi, Duo."

"Hi, babe," Duo grinned back before turning his attention back to Quatre and the topic of today's lunch. "So... What were you saying about that party, Q?"

Quatre snorted while eating on a turkey sandwich. "Well, the school's given the party comity the thumbs down for a party here at the school, so some of the girls from my history class are planning to throw a Valentines party at someone's house."

Heero raised an eyebrow while putting down his own cheese and ham sandwich. "Let me guess... Dorothy and Relena are in the lead of that and the party will either be at Relena's place or Dorothy's?"

Quatre nodded. "You guessed it. I heard them planning the thing and only 'specialy invited' are allowed to join the party."

Heero groaned and took a deep glug from his coffee. "Guess who'll be invited..."

Duo chuckled and patted Heero's back. "Be strong, handsome. Remember, they can smell fear."

Heero snorted and gave Duo a little smirk before picking up his food again. "Well, I'm not worried. I have no plans on going to that party so if they want me there, they'll have to tie me up and give me a tranqulizer."

"Don't give them any idea's," Trowa dead panned before curling up the paper from his lunch and aimed for the trashcan, missing the hole by a mile. "You know that Relena hasn't given you up just yet."

"I am painfully aware of that," Heero grumbled and curled up the plastic cup after downing the rest of his coffee. "But she just has to get used to the idea that I am gay and taken. Besides, I don't date outside my species."

Duo chuckled and leaned over to place a kiss to Heero's lips, which was eagerly responded to by the Japanese teen. "Damn straight you are and damn straight you don't. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna back away from a girl that doesn't even know the differends between her ass and a hole in the ground."

"Intelectualy, I'd say you have the upper hand, Maxwell. But only just," Wufei quipped before ducking as Heero's empty cup was thrown in his direction. Grinning, Wufei picked up his own curled up napkin and tossed it towards Duo's head. "You toss like a girl, Maxwell."

Duo grabbed the napkin in the air before sticking his tongue out at the Chinese. "Thank you, Homo-wan kanobi."

Trowa quickly slapped his hand over his mouth and nose, just in time before he sent his coffee spurting all over the table. Banging his chest with the other as he snorted and coughed with uncontrolled snickers, Trowa was starting to turn a light blue as proper breathing was prevented by the coughs. Quatre quickly banged his back while handing his a napkin with his free hand while Duo started banging his fist into the table while laughing. Heero and Wufei couldn't help but snicker from the scene and only a glare from the blonde made the two Asian teens pull themselves together. Getting a smack over the head from Heero, Duo tried his best to control his own snickering while Trowa dried of his coffee soaked and sweater while Quatre cleaned away the coffee dripping from his chin.

"Yanno, Trowa," Duo snickered while drying away a tear from the corner of his eye. "I will never get your sence of humor, but damned if you don't crack me up anyway."

"I am glad I could entertain you today," Trowa dead panned while curling up the napkin and tossed it towards the braided teen. "But don't expect an encore."

"Pity," Duo quipped while folding his hands onto the table. "Sure you won't take up profession as a clown? Bet your sister can get you a deal."

"It's more likely that he'll scare the kids rather than entertain them," Wufei shot in while looking only mildly interested in the conversation.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Trowa mumbled before he shrugged and smiled to himself. "But they mean well."

Raising an eyebrow, Duo lifted his hand from the table before resting his head on his knuckles. "It must be nice, thinking the way you do..."

Trowa gave a little smile and nodded. "It's very nice."

Duo just snorted before leaning back into his chair. "Now that this conversation is overwith, what about we make some plans? We haven't had a proper band rehearsal in ages."

Quatre nodded. "That's true. But I am ready when you are, so can't we have one this week-end or something?"

Wufei scratched the back of his head. "I don't know if I can. I'm suppose to take Nataku to the vet this week."

"That mut is still alive," Trowa asked while cleaning away his and Quatre's trash from the table.

Wufei frowned and crossed his arms. "It's not a mut, it's a pekingnese; and her name is Nataku! And yes, she is still alive. I am taking her to the vet to have her castrated."

"Ouch," Duo mumbled while pulling a face. "No mention of catrations in the precense of men, thank you very much."

"Good thing I am sitting with a bunch of panties then," Wufei shot back, only to have a curled up napkin hit him square between the eyes, curtesy of Heero's good aiming.

"Nobody is forcing you to stay," Heero quipped back as soon as Wufei regained his compostiture before he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"I was a member before you, so back off, Yuy," Wufei grumbled and crossed his arms as well while looking away from the Japanese teen.

Heero just smirked and shook his head.

Quatre chuckled and brushed some of his hair away from his eyes. "Okay, then we will have a rehearsal when you have had Nataku fixed. Just let us know and we will book an hour."

Wufei nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Duo nodded before glancing at the clock over the cafeteria door and started to gather up his trash. "Well, gentlemen," he quipped while picking up his tray and winked. "It's been lovely chatting with you, but I have a study hour now."

Wufei snorted and started gathering up his own trash. "This I got to see. Maxwell, studying when he's acctually suppose too."

Duo just stuck his tongue out before walking over to Heero and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I'll see you after school," he whispered and smiled softly.

Heero smiled back and nodded before whispering a soft "Hai" back to his boyfriend. Watching as Duo walked over to the trashcans and disposed of his tray with Wufei following him, Heero let a small smile play over his lips before returning his attention to his own tray. Raising an eyebrow as he caught Quatre and Trowa staring at him with amused smiles playing over their lips, Heero frowned before clearing his throath. "Can I help you guys?"

Trowa just shook his head and got onto his feet, still with the little smile playing on his lips. "No thank you, we're fine."

"Could have fooled me," Heero muttered while hoisting his bag onto his shoulder and started walking to the cans.

Trowa just chuckled and placed an arm around Quatre's shoulders. "Say, Heero. What are you and Duo doing on Valentines day? It's on Saturday, you know."

Heero shrugged and dumped his trash into the trash can before playing the tray on top of the rest. "I know that and as far as I know, we don't have any special plans. I'm not really fond of Valentines day; it's just a bunch of mumbo jumbo if you ask me. Pink hearts and frills everywhere and bright pink cards that claims to say what you're feeling to the one you give the card too."

Quatre chuckled and flashed Heero a sweet smile. "But it's a nice thought, Heero. Giving a little something to the one you love."

Heero raised an eyebrow and started to walk out of the cafeteria with Trowa and Quatre following him. "Maybe so, but why cram it all into one day? What about the rest of the days of the year?" Walking towards the biology-room, Heero shrugged before continuing. "That's why so many relationships go to hell if you ask me. People think that if you give your mate a gift on valentines day, they're free for the rest of the year. I don't want to sound cynical-"

"Too late for that," Trowa quipped, only to have Heero shoot a glare at him from over his shoulder. "Sorry."

Heero just grunted and stopped outside of his class-room. Leaning his back towards the wall, Heero crossed his arms and continued. "As I said, I don't mean to sound cynical, but there is only so much you can mash into one day. I'd rather save something for the rest of the year instead of just going crazy on Valentines Day." Closing his eyes for a second, Heero let his bag slide from his shoulder so he could rub his neck. "I don't mind the day and I will give Duo a little something, yes. All I'm saying is that I won't go bananas just because the stores tell me so, neither will I buy him something pink and fuzzy."

Quatre looked at Heero and blinked a little. "I thought Valentines Day was something big in Japan."

Heero snorted and raised an eyebrow while letting a little smile play on his lips. "Well, I'm not typical Japanese, Quatre. I may have Japanese parents, know the lanuage and spend almost every summer there with my grandparents, but I am not a typical Japanese. If I where, I don't think I would have you as my friends or Duo as my boyfriend. Being gay isn't exactly frown upon, but public display is. Besides, Valentines Day is more for the girls. They give chocolate to the guy they like, then later the guy she gave the chocolate to has to come with her shopping, and he has to pay. Of course, only if the Valentine is accepted. 1"

Trowa snorted and grinned. "Not exactly a win-win deal."

Heero smirked back and shrugged. "That's in the eye of the beholder. If the guy likes the girl, then I don't think he would mind so much."

Trowa just shrugged back and wrapped his arms around Quatre's waist. "I suppose..." he murmured before leaning down and started nibbling on the blond's neck. Quatre just giggled and squirmed, making Heero roll his eyes.

"Don't you have anything else to do, somewhere else to be?"

Trowa just grinned before moving Quatre to his side and winked. "We'll see you later."

Heero just waved before watching the tall Latino and the blond walk down the hall and around the corner. Sighing a little, Heero leaned against the wall and crossed his arms while waiting for class to start. More people had joined him in the hall, but Heero didn't really care. He didn't really have anthing to do with them so he didn't feel like he had to talk with them.

Watching as the teacher came down the hall, Heero bent down and picked up his bag before folowing the mass into the classroom. Sitting down onto his normal spot, Heero reached into his bag and fished up his notebook, only to hear something fluttering to the floor. Looking down, Heero spotted a white envelope on the floor, the back facing up. Leaning down, Heero grabbed and lifted it up before turning it around. His name was scribbled neatly on the front and Heero already had a hunch about what it was. Using his straightener to rip the envelope open, Heero dipped his fingers into it and fished out a bright, pink card.

Groaning a little, Heero quickly scanned the inside before stuffing the offending card back into the envelope. "Relena," he growled and stuffed the envelope into his bag before rubbing his temple. He really didn't want to deal with her again, he was starting to get sick and tired of getting passes from the girl. "Time to remove the gloves," he growled under his breath before looking up at the talking teacher and tried to focus on the class.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

"Relena!"

Turning around as she walked down the hall on her way out of the school building, Relena smiled as she watched Heero come running towards her, jacket in his hand and his bag over his shoulder. Stopping, Relena waited until the Japanese teen had reached her side and stopped. The teen wasn't even panting, he just stared at her with his jacket clenched in his hands.

Smiling, Relena closed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "You wanted to see me, Heero?"

Heero nodded before letting his hand slipp into the bag and fished up a white envelope. Holding it up with two fingers, Heero mumbled under his breath while using his other hand to place the jacket over his bag. "I got your... Invitation."

"Ah, yes. My party." Relena smiled sweetly and clashed her hands together in front of her. "I hope you can come. It will be a great gathering, I am sure we'll have so much fun."

Heero just stared at the envelope before he took a hold on it with both hands and teared it up at the middle. Dropping the pieces to the floor, Heero watched as the torn up envelope fluttered away before looking straight into Relena's eyes. "Don't get your hopes up."

Relena gasped before tears started to pool in her eyes. Her hands dropped to her sides and she bit her lip. "But... But why?"

Heero just looked at her before turning away. "Do you really have to ask? Relena, I will tell you this one last time. I don't like you, I never had and if you keep that attidute of your up, I never will. Neither do I find you beautiful, I don't even think you are good looking. Third, I am gay and I am seeing somebody, namely Duo. I will never have an interest in you so you do well in forgetting me unless you want to keep getting hurt. It is time for you to learn that you cannot have everything you want."

Turning his head to stare at the girl in the pink dress, Heero growled. "Here is a tip from me to you; Drop that attidute and you might get yourself some real friends. As long as you keep it up, your so called friends will just keep on using you and you will never learn to value true friendship. Maybe then, guys will see you in a different light as well and you will be able to find somebody that loves you, not only lusting for you." Closing his eyes, Heero added softly. "Just like others are fooling you, you are fooling yourself. You think you like me, maybe even love me, but you only find my physical apperance attractive. You don't know a thing about me, we have nothing in common, nor have I ever treated you in a way that could have made you fall in love with me, unless getting your heart broken is a turn on for you. So here is another tip; get to know a person before claiming to love the induvidual."

Turning his head to face forward again, Heero added softly. "Have a nice Valentines Day." Then he started to walk away from the crying girl, hoping and praying that maybe, just maybe, she would understand, mature and maybe even change.

If not to get her own futures sake, then at least to get her off his case.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The rest of the week passed without a hitch and when Friday rolled by, Heero got the urge to find his boyfriend a little something to show just how much he cared for him.

Grabbing Duo's hand as he walked out from his history class, Heero had decided that even though Valentines Day was stupid, showing his love and care for the braided boy was not. "Hey, Duo? You doing anything on saturday?"

Duo shook his head and shrugged. "Not that I know off, besides that band rehearsal. Why?"

Heero cleared his thraoth, suddenly feeling his mouth go a little dry. "I was just wondering... Saturday is Valentines day... I was just wondering if I could take you out..."

Duo smiled and let a little chuckle escape from the depths of his throath. "Heero, you're acting like you're asking me out for the first time. We've been dating, kissing and groping around for almost three months now, you should know my answer."

Heero chuckled and smiled sheepishly while releasing his grip around Duo's hand. "Well, you've got a point, but I guess I just hafta prove something for myself after that..." Trailing of, Heero looked at the ground while a blush crept over his cheek.

Duo chuckled again and Heero could feel a warm hand cover his cheek. "Heero... That fight we had, it's over... Forgiven, forgotten... Everybody's got a little fight every now and then, even Q and T, and to be honest, if you and I just walked around being peachy all the time, I would have ended our relationship a good time ago."

Giving Duo a questioning glance, Heero raised an eyebrow.

Duo chuckled again and wrapped his arms around Heero's neck. "Heero... You and I, we're two hotblooded, healthy and independent teenagers, at least as independent as we can get when we're eighten. We have different views on things, different believes. We are two individuals, but right now we're sharing one relationship." Using his thumb to stroke Heero at the back of his neck, Duo just smiled while feeling Heero's own arms slide around his waist. Placing a little kiss to Heero's nose, Duo continued. "I care for you, Heero. You are my best friend and my boyfriend, and I dare say that you're one of the most important persons in my life. But you've got a thick skull, just like me and a heated battle every now and then will happen. But I think it's better that we air out what we're feeling instead of keeping it bottled inside. You following my lead?"

Heero nodded and lowered his face to bury it in Duo's neck. "I get it. It's just... You mean so much to me... I don't want to fight with you... Ever..."

Smiling, Duo used a hand to stroke through Heero's soft hair while murmuring. "I know... I don't wanna fight with you either... But it will happen..."

Nodding into Duo's neck, Heero sighed a little. "I know... And I would like to apologie in advance for every stupid thing I'll say and do in the nearer future..."

Chuckling, Duo swatted Heero over the head while ignoring the snickering that came from his neck. "Apology accepted," he grimaced before breaking their embrace and placed another little kiss on Heero's nose. "Now, I've got some chores at home that I need to take care of. I'll see ya tonight?"

Grinning, Heero nodded before murmuring. "I'll have dinner ready, but you can't stay the night. Dad comes home before midnight."

Grimacing again, Duo gave Heero's arm a little squeeze. "You've got to tell him soon."

"I know, I know," Heero groaned before he let his lips curl into a little smirk. "But do you honestly think that he'll let you stay the night if he knew you were my boyfriend, given the fact that he doesn't accept homosexuality at all?"

Duo chuckled and grinned. "To be honest, I don't think your dad or your mum would let me share you bed for an entire night even if both of them accepted it."

Heero chuckled and gave Duo a little smile. "They'll be guarding my virtue until I'm over thirthy and married."

Grinning a little bit, Duo ran a finger down over his boyfriends arm and turned on his innocent eyes. "So does that mean I don't get to tut your horn?"

Heero laughed and grinned back, but he couldn't ignore the quick pace his heart was now beating in. "Well, we do have a band practice soon..."

Duo laughed and nudged Heero's arm while grinning. "Heero, you're getting a sense of humor. I think I like it."

Heero just laughed and punched his boyfriend's arm.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"So you and dad both have the late night-shift?" Heero stared at his mother over the rim of his coffee mug while using a fork to poke around on a plate with scrambled eggs.

Mrs. Yuy nodded and put the paper she had been reading down onto the table along with her coffee mug. "Hai. Your father was asked if he could take the night-shift instead of the evening and I was suppose to work tonight in the first place."

"So in other words, you won't be home before tomorrow morning?"

Mrs. Yuy nodded again. "Hai." Raising an eyebrow over the smug look that suddenly appeared on her son's face, she cleared her throath and fixed her eyes on Heero. "So... Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Heero just shrugged and smiled while taking a sip from his mug. "Not much, okasan. I'm taking Duo out for dinner later tonight. Thought I could do something for him since it's Valentines day."

Mrs. Yuy smiled and nodded. "Well, that's nice off you, Heero." folding her hands onto the table, Mrs. Yuy kept her eyes on her son while studying his features. "But that look on your face tells me that you have something else planned."

Heero couldn't help but blush a little, but kept his face up and simply ate some of his breakfast instead. "Other than dinner and a movie back here, I don't have anything else planned."

Mrs. Yuy just smirked and returned her gaze to the paper. "Do I need to leave a pack with condoms behind?"

Laughter filled the room as Heero suddenly started to splutter and cough while banging his chest. "I was just teasing you, Heero. Take it easy."

Heero gave his mother a glare while stroking a hand over his throath and tried his best to get his breathing back under control. "Okasan... You are possitively evil sometimes. Aunt Ran hasn't done you any good."

Mrs. Yuy laughed and picked up her coffee mug. "You know you like your auntie Ran, Heero."

"Auntie Ran is nuttier than a valnut," Heero replied dryly while placing his mug onto the table. Running a hand through his messy bangs, Heero stiffled a little yawn before fixing his blue eyes back on his mother. "Since you and otasan work late night-shift tonight, can I borrow the car?"

Mrs. Yuy thought about it for a moment before nodding. "You can take my car, I can catch a ride with your father. Just be careful."

"You know I am," Heero replied with a little smile before getting onto his feet. Tugging his sweatpants a little futher up over his hips, Heero scratched his shoulder while passing his father by the kitchen door. Ignoring the look he knew his father was sending him, he disappeared up the stairs and into the bathroom for a shower.

Mr. Yuy sighed and removed the mug Heero had left on the table. "Mishka, have you noticed something different lately?"

Raising an eyebrow, Mrs. Yuy put up her best innocent face while shaking his head. "No, not really. Why?"

"It's Heero," Mr. Yuy mumbled while sitting down acros the table from his wife. "I think he's changed."

"Well, if you think smiling more often as something different, then I would say that it's a happy difference," Mrs. Yuy replied while taking a sip off tea from her cup.

Mr. Yuy grunted and stole the sport section of the paper. "I'd say he has become more rude and disrespectful."

"He is growing up, Hisoka," Mrs. Yuy replied and looked at her husband. "It's normal for a teen to rebel a little. He is just trying to find himself and where he is standing in life."

"He is hiding something," Mr. Yuy mumbled and ignored the rolling of eyes from his wife. "He has become more distant, he is snappy and he is hiding something." Clenching his hand so the paper pages started to crumble, Mr. Yuy tried his best to look nochalante.

Mrs. Yuy sighed and rubbed her temples. "Hisoka, don't start. I know who you are thinking about and who's to blame for a change that you have no control over."

"I told him those faggots where bad for him," Mr. Yuy grunted and fixed his wife a look.

Mrs. Yuy fixed him a look back and replied softly. "Hisoka, have you ever thought about that what Duo and his friends has done is a good thing for Heero? He has good friends now, for the first time in his life since Odin died and he acctually have fun."

"Don't bring Odin into this! He has nothing to do with this," Mr. Yuy growled, but Mrs. Yuy didn't flinch.

"Don't give me that, Hisoka," she growled back and frowed. "You're just afraid that Heero's going to turn into a homosexual just because he has gay friends. But guess what, doctor Yuy, people don't turn gay over the night. They are since from the day they evolve in the womb and there isn't a thing you, or any other doctor or priest can do about it to make it go away." Raising herself from her chair, Mrs. Yuy grabbed the dirty dishes and carried them to the sink. "And just so you know," she started while filling the dishwasher. "I don't know what's going on in Heero's life right now, but no matter what it is, he is still my son and I love him. His happiness comes first. Try and think about that instead of your own needs."

Then she left the kitchen, unaware that the seed of disbelief that had been planted in Mr. Yuy's mind was starting to grow into certainty and annoyance.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Pulling the car to a stop beside of the porch leading to the orphanage, Heero got out of the car before pulling down his green jersey and stroking the folds of his black jeans. Looking at the white building in front of his, Heero opened the gate and walked towards the door. A young boy, barely in his teens, sat on the stairs leading up to the door, holding a lit sigarette between his fingers. Heero nodded to him in a silent greeting and ignored the grunt he got in return.

Knocking on the door, Heero waited for it to be opened while stuffing his hands into his pocket. It wasn't cold, but there was a cool wind blowing over the area, making it a little chilly.

Turning as the door opened, Heero smiled and lifted a hand in a greeting. "Hi, Helen."

Helen smiled and opened the door completely. "Heero. So nice to see you again. Duo will be out in a minute, he's just tucking some of the children in for the night."

Heero nodded and walked into the building while watching the teen from the corner of his eye. The sigarette has magically disappeared and the sour look had been replaced with a little smile.

Helen nodded to the teen and smiled. "Lovely evening, right Tom?"

"Yes, ma'am," Tom replied and fixed his gaze to the sky.

Helen chuckled and closed the door after Heero before letting out a sigh. "I wonder how long he's gonna keep hiding it. Everybody is fully aware that he smokes."

Heero looked at the closed door and shrugged. "I suppose he thinks it's one of the things he has control off."

"Too bad that nobody that smokes knows that the sigarette is the thing that has control, not the other way around."

Heero nodded. "Agreed. But it is their lifes and their buisness."

Helen nodded before gesturing her hand towards the couch. "Have a seat, Heero and I'll let Duo know that you're here. Knowing him, the kids has probably talked him in to reading a story or two."

Heero chuckled and nodded while watching Helen disappear down the hall that lead to the childrens room before sitting down on the couch.

Folding his hands over his chest, Heero watched the childrens program on the television-set in front of him with small interest; he was much more interested in the laughing from the children.

Three boys and a girl was seated in front of the screen, laughing and pointing at the brightly colored cartoon with great interest. Heero couldn't help but smile. The merry mood was contageous.

Feeling a pair off warm hands covering his eyes, a soft and slightly husky voice whispered gently into his air. "Missed me?"

Heero couldn't help but shiver as the warm air from the mouth trailed over his ear and neck. Lifting his hands up to grasp over the hands over his eyes, he gave them a little squeeze before whispering back. "Always..."

Duo smiled and gave Heero's ear a little nip before removing his hands from his eyes.

Heero got up from his seat and couldn't help but oogle over Duo's body as soon as his eyes landed upon him.

His hair was loose, only gathered together by a black silky-looking bond into a ponytail. A black button up shirt clung to Duo's torso, showing off his slim waist and lean frame. His pants were slightly loose, but fitted Duo perfectly over the buttocks, showing off every soft curve. His leather jacket was clenched in Duo's fist and his feet where already shoed. Heero tried his best not too drool. Swallowing a little, Heero lifted a hand and gestured towards the outfit. "You look lovely."

Duo smiled softly and leaned over to give Heero a kiss on the cheek. "You're not so bad yourself, Yuy," he whispered hoarsly into Heero's ear before letting his tongue dart out and giving his a little lick over the ear before pulling back.

Heero groaned softly before taking Duo's hand in his, ignoring the giggles and snickers from the children in the room. Looking at the hall as both Helen and father Maxwell appeared, he smiled and nodded. "He'll be home before midnight."

Father Maxwell shook his head and smiled. "No no. You kids have fun and don't worry about the curview. I am sure that Duo will be in good hands."

Nudging his elbow into Duo's side as the braided boy started snickering, Heero nodded again and smiled. "You can trust me, Father."

"I know I can," father Maxwell agreed softly before nodding and walked back to his office.

Helen just smiled and waved as the two teens walked out of the front door before looking at the four kids in front of the tv. "Alright, that's quite enough. You've been glued to that screen all day. Either pick up a book to read or you can do tonights dishes." The kids looked at each other before turning the tv off and almost ran to the bookshelfs.

Outside, Duo slipped on his leather jacket before yanking Tom's sigarette out of his mouth and crushed it against the concrete by the door. Ignoring Tom's glare, Duo took Heero's hand in his and quipped. "If you want to fill your lungs with smoke, go stick your head under the hood of a barbeque. Those things are death in a stick, Tom."

Tom just grunted before whipping out his pack and looked at it.

Heero just looked at the young man before leading Duo towards the car, but he couldn't help but smile when he heard the faint sound of something landing on the ground, footsteps and a door opening and closing.

Looking over at his boyfriend, Heero could see the pleased smile that graced Duo's own lips and the softness in his eyes. "He'll learn," he whispered while hugging Duo close.

Duo nodded and wrapped an arm around Heero's waist while walking towards the car. "So, hotstuff? Care to tell me where you're taking me?"

Heero just smirked and used his free hand to open the passenger door. "Well, I can take you right here on the hood of the car, but I thought I could start with dinner first.

Duo's mouth dropped for a second before he regained his composture and closed his mouth. "Hardy-har-har. Very funny, Heero. Never though that you could be a horn ball."

"You'd be suprised," Heero quipped before giving Duo's back a little push.

Duo chuckled while sitting into the car and watched as Heero walked around the car and sat down into the drivers seat.

"Oh, I'm not so sure," Duo teased while Heero started the car and ran a light hand over Heero's thigh, making the Japanese teen let out a little moan. "But on a more serious note, where are we going? Don't you dare taking me anywhere fancy."

Heero chuckled and gave Duo a loving smile. "I asked you out so I will take you to dine wherever I see it fit. You will eat excatly what you want and I will pay for it."

Duo sighed and reached up his hands to rest them behind his head after buckling up. "But I don't like being spoiled and you know it."

"I know," Heero replied while backing out of the driveway and onto the street before starting to drive towards the city. "But as you boyfriend, I am allowed to treat you to a dinner every once in a while." Looking at Duo with soft eyes, Heero added softly. "I know you don't like being treated to stuff, to be spoiled or have people buy you things since you don't have the funds to buy it yourself. But I am not after mocking your finacial situation or anything else, I just want to treat you to something special, to show you just how much I care for you."

Giving Duo's thigh a quick pat before grabbing the gear stick, Heero smiled. "Please let me do this for you. You can treat us for some dessert if you want to, but allow me to treat you this dinner. It's Valentines Day and I want to do this for you." 'Because I love you,' Heero added mentally while gripping the steering wheel a little tighter while trying his best to fight off the blush that threathened to cover his face. He wasn't ready to say those words quite yet.

Duo smiled back and gently covered the hand on the stick with his own, giving it a little squeeze. "Okay... I will allow myself to be spoiled for tonight..." Swallowing a little, Duo added softly under his breath. "Heero... Thank you..."

Heero smiled back and let his thumb slide gently over Duo's fingers. "Don't mention it..."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Laughing as Heero opened the door and helped him out off the car, Duo grinned and wrapped his arms around Heero's waits. "Oh, Heero, I had such a good time! Who knew you could be such a funny date."

Heero snorted and leaned over to brush his lips over Duo's ear. "I am everything you want me to be..."

Ignoring the purr of delight from the braided teen, Heero let his lips brush from Duo's ear, over his cheek and to his lips before whispering. "Can I tempt you with a movie or should I take you home?"

Duo smled seducivly and brushed his own lips over Heero's. "I'd like to stay for a movie, thank you..."

"Good," Heero growled teasingly back before smirking and wrapped an arm around Duo's waist. Leading his boyfriend to the front door, Heero unlocked the door and bowed slightly. "After you."

Duo snorted and patted Heero's head as he passed before bending down to slip off his shoes. "Okay, no need to go all gentleman on me. In case you haven't noticed, I am not female and I'm not gonna fall for a cheap and old trick like that."

Heero snickered slightly and moved so he was standing behind Duo before wrapping his arms around the still bendt over teen's waist and pulled him close to his body, making Duo yelp and jerk up. "I know you're not female," Heero purred into Duo's ear before giving it a little tug with his teeth. "And do believe me when I say that I have no desire to use a cheap or old trick in order for me to get into your pants."

Duo snickered and turned his head so he could see Heero's face while placing his hands over Heero's own arms. "Oh, I know that you're smart enough to use but only new tricks on me so you can get into my pants."

"Well, if you insist on me getting into your pants, then I can always steal them in the morning and try them on, although I think they'll be a darn snug fit," Heero quipped back before leaning over and sealing his mouth with Duo's before the braided teen could respond. Closing his eyes as he kissed Duo deeply, Heero let his hand trail from Duo's waist, up his arm and over his shoulder before letting his fingers curl around at the nape of Duo's neck and into the soft hair. He could hear Duo moan slightly into the kiss, he could smell a faint hint of the chop suey and dumplings that Duo had ordered at the restaurant, he could feel Duo's own hand crasp onto his shoulder and as he slipped his tongue into Duo's mouth, he could taste the sweet and sour sauce as well as the beef from Duo's meal.

Moaning a little himself, Heero broke the kiss with one last dip from his tongue before pulling away. Duo's pupils were dialeted, his face was flushed and he was panting, but his face was covered in the biggest smile Heero had ever seen. Swallowing in an attemt to kill both his sudden nervousity and his rage of hormones, Heero removes his hand from Duo's neck and smiled. "Shall we?"

Duo smiled and nodded before walking into the main hall while Heero bent down to remove his own shoes. Sending his boyfriend into the living room to pick out a movie or find something half-way decent to watch, Heero walking into the kitchen to fetch them something to drink. Knowing that his father usually did not keep anything alcoholic in the kitchen, Heero knew that he had a little stash of it down in the basement. Arguing with himself for a moment, Heero decided that it wasn't worth the risk and plucked two ginger ale from the refrigderator instead. He wanted to be sober anyway, even though it would take more than one beer to make him drunk.

Returning to the living room, Heero handed Duo the ale before dumping down next to him on the couch. "What did you find," he asked while screwing the cork off the bottle and took a swig.

"I dunno," Duo replied while doing the same to his ale. "Some kind of comedy, but I'm not really sure what's going on yet. Think we're in the middle of it or something."

Heero nodded and moved his leg to cross it over his tight while leaning back onto the couch. Placing an arm over Duo's shoulder, Heero took another swig of his ale while watching the movie with only half an interest.

Duo leaned against Heero while watching the movie with a little more entusiasm, enjoying the feeling of his boyfriend's arm around his shoulder. Heero's thumb would move sometimes, stroking him at the back of the neck and making him shiver, but he wasn't about to complain. After a little while, Duo let out a little sigh and purred. "Feels nice..."

"Hmm?" Looking down at Duo, Heero raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

Smiling, Duo closed his eyes while letting his hand move from his lap to Heero's thigh, stroking it gently. "You stroking my neck... Feels nice..."

Heero let out a purr off his own as Duo started stroking his thigh and murmured with a slightly strained voice. "I am glad..."

Duo chuckled a little before letting out another happy, little purr. Closing his eyes while enjoying the gentle caress from his boyfriend, Duo could feel how his stomach started to flutter. Something in the way they were acting, something in the mood was different from all their other movie-night and Duo did not know if he was feeling exited or scared.

Heero continued to stroke the nape of Duo's neck softly, enjoying the feeling of warm skin underneat his fingertips. Sucking in an lungful of air, Heero let his hand glide softly from Duo's neck to his shoulder, squeezing it softly before letting it trail down Duo's arm. Swallowing heavily, Heero let his hand cover Duo's and squeezed it before twining their fingers together while pretending to watch the movie.

Duo's own hand was still stroking over his thigh, making his shiver and his stomach leap with exitement. He could feel that his groin was heating up, the flesh was pressing against the demin of his pants, and he couldn't help but blush over the fact that a simple caress as a hand on his thigh could make him aroused.

Removing his hand from Duo's, he let it glide up over Duo's side in slow, gentle movements. He could hear that Duo's breath had quickened and the hand on his thigh was squeezing a little harder than before. Feeling a little more pleased with himself, he let the hand glide back down to Duo's hip before gently tugging some of the hem of Duo's shirt up from Duo's pants. Not hearing any objections from his boyfriend, Heero let his hand slip under the shirt so he could feel the warm flesh underneat before slowly stroking up Duo's sides again. He could feel Duo shiver again and Heero tried his best not to leap with joy.

Turning his head to look at Heero, Duo gently let his tongue snake out between suddenly dry lips and tried his best to wet them. Whispering Heero's name in a slightly hoarse voice, Duo tried his best to hold eye-concact with the Japanese teen. Leaning up a little, Duo pressed his lips to Heero's, kissing him softly while shifting a little on the couch.

He could feel Heero's hand curl around his waist underneat the shirt while the other hand found it's way to his thigh while they kissed, and Duo let his own hand slide up to Heero's neck so he could deepen the kiss. His other hand remained on Heero's thigh, squeezing and sliding it up and down as they kissed. He could hear Heero groan deeply down in his throath and before he could blink, Heero hand both his hands on his ass and was tugging him onto his lap.

Duo groaned as Heero's tongue slipped between his lips while his hands squeezed and caressed his hands, and he let his own hands tangle them in Heero's thick hair, pulling the Japanese closer to his body. Duo could feel Heero's half-hard erection press up against his own, making him both flush and moan in exitement.

Letting his tongue battle against Duo's, Heero tried his best to pull Duo's body as tightly as he could to his body. Duo's ass in his hands felt wonderful and he really had to strain himself so he would not just toss Duo onto the couch and rip their clothes off.

Feeling the lack off air burn in his lungs after a while without breathing, Heero pulled back from the kiss and panted heavily against Duo's lips. Duo continued to press his lips lightly and teasingly to Heero's kisswollen lips before pulling back enough so he could see Heero in the eyes. "Heero," he whispered hoarsly while removing a strain of hair from Heero's face. "Heero..."

Heero did not let Duo say anything else, he simply captured Duo's kisswolled lips in another heated kiss, letting his tongue slide in between Duo's lips and teeth to battle with the wet muscle's inside that wet cavern. He could hear Duo moan as he captured the tongue between his teeth and sucked on it for a few seconds before letting it go so it could dive into his own mouth.

Moaning loudly while letting his hands rub and squeeze Duo's ass, Heero couldn't remember the last time he had felt this exited. He wanted Duo and he wanted him now.

Breaking off the kiss with a little growl, Heero panted and stared at Duo's slightly flushed face.

Duo stared back down at him, not saying a word and his breath coming out is short, hard puffs against his lips.

Heero swallowed heavily and released his grip on Duo's ass, only to have Duo's hand cover his and move them to his hips. Looking deeply into Duo's Cobalt blue eyes, Heero could see the lust and exitment dance around there and he could help the groan that escaped from his throath.

Duo licked his lips again before moving his face to Heero's ear, hands still making sure that Heero's own hands was gripping his hips. "I think we need to take this upstairs..."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: 1 I read this somewhere in a magazine here in Norway (manga and Japan has started to become insanely huge here now), but since the magazines here has printed a lot of mistakes before, I am not sure how trust-worthy it is. Gimme a jingle if I am way off._

_Okay, I have never, I repeat NEVER, written any kind of foreplay, lime, lemon or even a hot kissing scene before so I hope I did okay. If not... Well, practice makes perfect. _

_Do also forgive my for any (most likely) spelling mistakes and the likes in this chapter. My beta (god have mercy upon her soul) has become really busy lately with school (good girl) so in order to give her some slack, I'm gonna search for another beta. Anyone interested in the job?_

_Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	37. Take me to the Stars and Back

**New Hope Home**

And here it is. Heero and Duo's first time together. This will be a lime, or a very light and mild lemon and if you can't handle it, then don't read. What's taking place here is not really important for what will happen later in the story, yet it has something to do with the rest of their relationship. But if you can't handle it, don't read. I repeat: **If you can't handle a lime or light lemon, do not read this chapter! This will be an M at the worst! **Anybody who continues to read after ignoring my warning has themselves to blame.

Now, with that said; enjoy the chapter.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Take me to the Stars and Back:"

Watching Duo's face as he lead them up the stairs, Heero could feel how his heart was beating in his chest and his cheeks tingled. His ears felt a little hot as well, but it didn't matter.

Duo's own face was a little red as well, but his face was as serious as Heero had never seen it. Their hands squeezed the other tenderly as the two teens move up the stairs slowly.

Moving backwards towards his room, Heero kept his gaze locked with Duo's, his hands never letting go of Duo's own warm hands. He released the hand long enough for him to fumble after the doorknob and get the door open.

As soon as the door was open, Duo took a step closer and grabbed Heero's face with his hands, bringing their lips together in a hot, demanding kiss. Moaning softly into Duo's mouth, Heero brought his own hands up to cup Duo's cheeks before running his fingers back over Duo's jaws, down his neck before Heero let them trail back up and tangle into the back of Duo's braid.

Duo moaned back and let his own fingers trail over Heero's cheeks before tangling them into Heero's hair. He could feel how Heero's hands move down his braid before a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist, spinning him around so he was walking backwards into the room. Running his own hands down over Heero's biceps, Duo opened his mouth and darted his tongue out to lick over Heero's lips.

Heero opened his mouth to Duo's searching tongue, slipping his own tongue into Duo's mouth and stroking it against the wet muscle. Continuing to move them into the room, Heero continued to walk until the back off Duo's knees hit the bed. Breaking the kiss for air, Heero brought his hands up to cup Duo's cheek while staring into the braided teens eyes.

Duo's lips were red and swollen from the kisses and his breathing came out in fast puffs. Swallowing a little, Heero ran his thumb over Duo's lips before leaning back forwards and captured Duo's lips in a new, deep kiss, moaning as he felt Duo's arms wrap themselves tightly around his neck.

Wrapping his arms around Duo's waist as they lowered themselves onto the bed, Heero continued to kiss his boyfriend deeply. Feeling Duo's slim fingers run through his hair, he couldn't help but let out a little groan into the kiss as their lips moved together. The sensation, the feeling; it was all so good.

"How are we gonna do this," Duo panted out after breaking the kiss for air, still with a hand in Heero's hair and the other hand on Heero's ass.

Heero swallowed as he stared at Duo's kiss-swollen lips. "I... I don't know..."

Duo smiled gently and moved the hand from Heero's ass to cup his cheek instead. "Tell ya what... If we're gonna go all the way this time, I can be on the bottom. Since you've never been with anyone before it would be best if I take the submissive role since I know what to expect."

Placing a finger over Heero's mouth as the Japanese teen started to speak, Duo softly added. "Reading about it can only take you so far, babe. Reading and truly feeling it is two different things."

Heero nodded and leaned down to gently kiss and suck at Duo's neck. "Guess you're right... Sure you don't mind?" he asked carefully between kissing the soft flesh.

Duo shivered while letting out small mewling noises. "It's okay... I know that you're thinking about my previous experiences with Peter and I know that being with you will be nothing like it. I know you won't hurt me..."

Heero could feel how his heart started to pound in his chest; the trust Duo put on him was both honouring, yet so frightening. Duo trusted Heero enough to know that he would never hurt his braided boyfriend, not on purpose. But what if he did hurt him?

Feeling Heero tense up, Duo turned his head to look at his boyfriend and gently cupped his cheek. "Hey... Ease up, baby.. If you're not comfortable with this, we don't hafta do anything. I understand."

Heero shook his head."No, I... I do want this... It's just... What if I hurt you anyway? It is as you said, reading about it can only take you so far..."

Duo smiled and leaned up to press a quick kiss on Heero's lips. "I trust you Heero... I'll tell you if you hurt me." Letting the soft grin turn a little more teasingly, Duo moved his hand from Heero's cheek and squeezed his ass. "Now... Let's chase those bad thoughts out of your head, ne?"

Heero groaned and moved his hands down over Duo's side before letting them rest at the braided teens hips. Feeling Duo press his groin against his own, he couldn't help but blush just a little by the feel of Duo's hardness through the fabric of the black jeans while his own pulsed with the touch.

This was it.

This was the final step.

They would now take a new step and strengthen the relationship they already had.

They would be joined both in mind, heart, body and soul.

Heero was scared shitless.

But the fear became smaller as Duo smiled softly and reached up to cup his cheeks with his hands before pulling him down for a kiss. Feeling the soft lips trail over his own, Heero moaned softly into Duo's mouth and pulled the braided man close.

His hands trailed over Duo's body, feeling the muscles flex under his touch while his lips moved with Duo's. Duo's own hands moved through Heero's hair before hooking themselves around Heero's neck, pulling Heero's chest in full contact with his own.

Breaking the kiss for air, Heero panted and stared down at Duo, watching as the braided man let out small puffs of air through kiss swollen lips, curved in a teasing smile. "Damn, Heero. You may be a virgin, but you sure know how to kiss!"

Heero smiled sheepishly as he straddled Duo's hips. "Thank you for that, but from now on you'll have to lead me because I have no idea what I'm doing..."

Duo grinned and pulled Heero down for another heated kiss. "First of all, we need to be at least two people to go through with this."

Heero chuckled and plundered Duo's mouth while mumbling "Check."

Moaning softly into the kiss, Duo broke it of long enough to pant "Then you need a willing lover."

"Willing lover?" Grinning, Heero attacked Duo's neck with savages kisses before purring into his ear. "Check."

Tangling his left hand into Heero's hair, Duo let out another throaty groan and stammered. "T-then... Mmm... Said lover and –oh, that felt nice – yourself has to be naked..."

"I don't need a step-by-step instruction, baka," Heero grunted and slipped a slightly cold hand under Duo's shirt, smiling gently when he felt the teen shiver under his touch. He could get used to that.

"Heero, your hand are cold."

Okay, so maybe it wasn't only his touch that made Duo shiver. At least it was caused by his hands. "Sorry," he mumbled and kissed Duo's earlobe while pinning the braided teen to the bed.

"'s okay," Duo panted out and arched his back up so he could touch Heero's own body. Smiling mischievously, he winked up to his soon-to-be-lover. "We'll get 'em heated up soon enough," he quipped before attacking Heero's neck with kisses.

Moaning a little as he felt Duo's lips trail over his throat and neck, Heero placed his own lip neck on Duo's earlobe and tugged gently. Encouraged by the response he got from his boyfriend, Heero grinned a little and trailed his lips down over white, soft skin.

Duo moaned softly and let his own fingers trail over Heero's neck and shoulders, down his chest before he hooked his fingers around the buttons on Heero's shirt and tugged gently.

Sitting up, Heero watched as Duo sat up after him with a sheepish smile. "May I?"

Smiling, Heero nodded and offered. "Be my guest."

Smiling, Duo started unbuttoning Heero's shirt before sliding the fabric of the Japanese man's shoulders and flung it onto the floor.

Heero grinned back and hooked his own fingers under the hem of Duo's shirt and pulled it over the braided boy's head, making sure that the braid did not get stuck. Letting his hands trail over the teens chest and sides, Heero softly caressed Duo's soft skin. Letting his fingers run slowly down over Duo's neck, shoulder and arm before trailing them back up and hooking his hands around Duo's neck. Pulling the braided boy closer, Heero let his mouth clash with Duo's, feeling the young man response with opening his mouth and dart his tongue out to meet it's counterpart.

Breaking the kiss after a few moments, Heero let his lips trail over Duo's neck, throat and shoulder; kissing and sucking on the soft skin. He grinned slightly as he heard Duo moan deeply and he could not help but purr a little as Duo's hands tangled themselves into his hair, urging him to go on.

Soon, clothes where all but a distant memory, both teens were naked in a tangle off limbs and sweat. Despite this being new territory for them both, having never seen each other nude like this before, Heero felt as this was the most natural thing in the world.

The feeling of Duo's skin underneath his fingertips as he gently caressed Duo's body. The sensation he felt when Duo caressed his body in return.

The fact that they both were inexperienced didn't matter any more, all that mattered was the fact that they were together.

Touching Duo's erection with his hand, Heero gently started to stroke, enjoying the feeling of the soft skin against his palm. It wasn't all that new, they had touched each other intimately like this before in the shape of hand-jobs and exploring, but the excitement was still the same. Duo's shaft was slightly thicker than his own, but average in length, just like he was. The fact that they were so similar in that aspect also helped to ease the mode; there was no need to be embarrassed about the size of their equipment when they were basically the same.

"Besides, it's not the size of the hammer, it's how you use it," Duo had said the first time they had touched each other and Heero had willingly, but shyly dropped his pants for Duo to see. Then Duo had dropped his own so Heero wouldn't be to embarrassed.

Sliding his tongue over Duo's throat, Heero tried his best to sort out the 'Does' and 'Don't's' when it came to pleasing your partner. He tried his best to localise the sensitive spots, listened after sounds of protest or pleasure from his boyfriend and explored the best he could.

When Duo was tired of letting Heero do all the job, he flipped the Japanese teen over to his back and started doing the same thing in return.

Not once did their hands leave each others bodies, the two teens had to constantly touch and explore on their partners body, encouraged by every moan and whimper they could get in reward.

When Heero finally had had enough of the foreplay, he flipped Duo back onto the bed so he was on top. His erection was hard and swollen between his legs, the head was red and leaking with pre-cum while his breath was coming out in small, heavy puffs. Staring down at his boyfriend, Heero could see that Duo was in pretty much the same situation. His lips were red and swollen from kissing, his hair looked like a rats nest and his pale throat was red from the love-bites Heero had given him.

It was the most beautiful thing Heero had ever seen.

Placing a kiss on top of Duo's forehead, Heero swallowed and whispered gently. "So... What's next?" He knew the basics, he knew what was coming next, but he wanted Duo to tell him, wanted to make sure that this was something they both wanted.

Duo swallowed and took a deep breath before cupping Heero's cheek with one hand. "Now... You need to stretch me..."

Heero nodded and leaned over to the night stand. Duo probed himself up a little on Heero's pillow while watching Heero rummaging through his drawer after something.

Blushing a little, Heero fished up a tube with lube before leaning back into the bed.

Duo snorted and eyed the tube. "When did you buy that?"

Heero cleared his throat and blushed even more. "I... I didn't. I got it from Hilde at Christmas... I... I got a box full, actually."

Duo stared at the tube before bursting into laughter. Heero didn't know if he was going to laugh with him or hide under the bed from embarrassment. Luckily, Duo solved the problem for him by crushing his lips to Heero's and slipping his tongue into his mouth.

After a few moments of hot kissing, Duo pulled back for air and brushed some of Heero's bangs away from his brow, still smiling like a loon. "Well, she bought it for a reason," he purred before grabbing Heero by the shoulders and flipped him over to his back, barely preventing both of them from falling out of the bed before straddling Heero's hips and looked down at him, grinning. Running his fingers over Heero's chest, Duo leaned down and licked at Heero's lips teasingly. "It would be a shame... If we didn't put her thoughtful gift into good use..."

Heero was reduced to a puddle of hormonal and horny goo, and couldn't muster up enough willpower to give Duo a proper answer. Dropping the tube of lube onto his pillow and grasping Duo's hips in his hands while thrusting his hips up against Duo's butt, Heero swallowed heavily before croaking out a hoarse "Oh, dear god..."

Duo chuckled again and straightened up, letting his hair fall over his shoulder before giving Heero a sultry look. Licking his lips, Duo used his butt to brush over Heero's crouch before purring . "So... Are you ready for the next step?"

Heero nodded dumbly, all rational thinking had disappeared from his head and the only thinking that was done now was done by the head between his legs. "Aa," he managed to grunt out before sitting up and pushing Duo onto his back towards the foot-end of the bed before starting to ravage his neck and throat with hungry kisses, ignoring the fact that the lube was still left on the pillow.

"Lube," Duo grunted as he felt one of Heero' fingers finger at his opening, seeking access. "Or else it's gonna hurt like a bitch."

Heero nodded and started fumbling blindly after the lube, which he couldn't find. "Crap!"

Duo probed himself onto his elbows and looked at Heero with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

Heero sat back onto his heals before twisting his torso around and started searching for the lube. "Where the fuck did that tube go!"

Duo snorted a little while grinning, using the back of his heal to teasingly stroke over Heero's groin. "Can't find it?"

Heero just growled in return before tossing his off the bed and let out a shout of triumph. "Aha!" Holding up the tube like it was the holy grail, Heero quickly returned his attention back to his braided boyfriend. "Found it," he breathed while grinning.

Duo snorted and laid back down on the bed with his arms over his head. "Good boy," he purred and removed the teasing foot from Heero's groin. Watching as Heero fumbled a little with the cork Duo let a soft smile spread over his lips. The fumbling, the nervous playing around, everything that Heero did right now; it was all so sweet and it made Duo's heart beat faster in his chest. Spreading his legs a little, Duo tried his best to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. He knew what to expect, he knew what the worst possible result could be. But he trusted Heero, he knew Heero wouldn't hurt him.

He loved Heero.

Gasping a little as he felt the first lube-slicked finger slide into him, Duo let out a half-groan, half-grunt before biting his lips and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Are you alright?"

Nodding, Duo tried his best to fight off the nervousness while clenching his hands to the foot-side of the bed. It felt darn uncomfortable to have a finger up his ass, but it didn't exactly hurt. "Feels funny," he grunted out before chuckling.

"What?" Heero looked at Duo with concerned eyes which transformed into confusion as soon as he saw the look of dis-comfort change into one of amusement.

Duo chuckled before licking over his lips and tried to adjust to the finger. "It's like... It feels like something wants out, but I'm unable to... Well... Get it out."

Heero snorted and started stroking the finger around inside of Duo's hole, experimenting a little as he moved the finger slightly in and out. "Lovely image," he grunted out before placing small and tender kisses on Duo's sweat-slicked stomach. "Does it hurt?"

Duo shook his head and let out a little moan as he felt Heero's finger stroke around his inner walls. "No," he breathed out while biting his lip. "I'm fine..."

"Think you can handle another one," Heero asked while looking up from Duo's stomach, still moving the finger slowly around inside of his lover. Seeing Duo's nod of acknowledgement, Heero added a little more lube to his finger before sliding another one in. Watching in amazement as the finger joined the other inside of Duo's hole, Heero started moving them a little around, twisting them around a little, but didn't really dare to do anything else. The hole looked ready to burst as it was and Heero didn't think it could take another finger without it started to hurt like a bitch. 'And I am much thicker than just two fingers,' Heero thought before looking up at Duo. Opening his mouth to speak, Heero swallowed before stuttering out. "Does... D-does it hurt?"

Duo shook his head, but his face was grimacing a little.

Feeling torn between continuing what he had started and calling it quits, Heero asked quietly. "Do... Do you want me to pull them out?"

Duo shook his head again before breathing out. "No... Just... Twist them around a little more... Then start scissoring them. That will... Mmm... Stretch me out further."

Feeling like the biggest, most idiotic virgin in the world, Heero started twisting his fingers around again before gently spreading them, scissoring them so Duo would loosen up some more. Feeling encouraged by the soft moan that was drawn from his lover, Heero started pushing the fingers further in, stroking the inner walls carefully before spreading the fingers again. "How does that feel," he asked before leaning down to kiss on Duo's thigh, offering a little distraction from what Heero knew was an uncomfortable event.

Duo moaned again as Heero's fingers stroked him from the inside before arching a little off the bed and clenching the bedsheets in his hands. "Oh, gods... It feels... It's... Oh, Heero..." His member was starting to soften a little from the lack off attention and comfort, but Duo knew that that would soon change. "Heero... Another one," he grunted out before gasping as Heero obeyed and slid another finger in. Letting out a whimper, Duo felt himself tighten around Heero's fingers while the muscle burned from the discomfort, but it didn't exactly hurt. Heero had done a good job.

After what seemed like hours for both off them, Duo let out a load moan as the last of the discomfort faded and only a strange sensation of being filled remained. "Now," he moaned and opened his eyes to stare on Heero. "I'm ready... Please..."

Heero nodded and pulled his fingers out from Duo's entrance. Smiling a little as Duo let out a moan of disappointment, Heero started rummaging through his night stand drawer until he found what he was looking for. Smiling a little sheepishly, Heero fished up a pack with condoms before returning to Duo's side. "Better safe than sorry," he murmured before giving Duo a lazy kiss. "That's what my mother's always saying and... I'm not tested for anything, so..."

Duo nodded and cupped Heero's cheek before giving Heero a lazy kiss in return. "Smart boy..."

Heero didn't say anything, he just let his tongue do all the talking for him while opening the pack and fished out a string with foils. Ripping one foil loose from the rest, Heero let them drop onto the bed before returning the touching and caressing that Duo was providing him.

Then Duo said something that made his heart skip a beat.

"May I?"

Heero nodded nervously and handed the condom to Duo. Duo gently plucked it from Heero's hands before ripping the plastic off with his teeth, smiling seductively the whole time. When he leaned forward to roll the latex over Heero's erection, Heero couldn't help but swallow.

Duo looked up and smiled. "You sure it's okay?"

Heero nodded again before blushing. "It's okay, Duo."

Duo just smiled and leaned up to press a gentle kiss to Heero's lips. "You're nervous," he murmured gently while rubbing his nose gently to Heero's.

Heero just captured Duo's bottom lip with his teeth and gave it a little tug before murmuring. "So are you..."

Duo snorted before biting Heero's nose. "Of course I am. I'm about to be impaled by this bad boy." With that, he gave Heero's cock a tug before finally rolling the thin latex over the head and down to the base of his penis. Looking up after finishing his task, Duo grinned and winked. "Think you just shot that myth about Asians being small to pieces, babe."

Heero snorted and pushed Duo onto the bed before placing himself between Duo's legs. Leaning over the braided teen, he captured Duo's lips in a kiss before growling. "I have some European blood in me..."

"Oh, really," Duo managed to groan out while clenching himself to Heero's shoulders, shivering by the feel of Heero's hardness against his own, not to mention the thought off where that part of Heero's autonomy would be buried in just a few minutes.

"My mother's side," Heero groaned out before licking a trail from Duo's throat and over his chest.

"Gods," Duo grunted out while spreading his legs a little further. "Heero, please..."

Heero nodded and grasped the base of his latex-covered penis. Holding his breath as he nudged Duo's opening with the head, Heero slowly started pressing. At first the opening refused to grant him access, but after a little more firm nudging from Heero's side, the head slid into Duo's body. Moaning a little as he slid further into Duo's body, Heero removed his hold and used both his arms for support instead. Almost squeezing his eyes shut as he continued to slide slowly into Duo's body, Heero bit his lip hard to prevent himself from just thrusting in.

Duo bit his own lip as Heero slid gently into him. It felt so funny, so filling to have Heero slowly inching his way inside of him, so very different from when he was with Peter. Clenching himself to Heero's shoulders, Duo let a soft moan escape his lips while willing himself to relax. The stretched muscle burned a bit, but it didn't hurt.

After what seemed like ages to them both, Heero was finally fully sheathed inside of his lover's channel. Sweat was forming on his brow and was already running down his back while his arms where threatening to buck. Heero felt he had run a full marathon and they had not even started yet. Waiting for Duo's sign of approval, Heero let his head drop down to Duo's neck where he started to kiss and suck on the flesh there. He knew that Duo was probably adjusting to the invading flesh and a little distraction was always good.

Flexing his muscles a little, Duo moaned as the last of the discomfort disappeared and squeezed Heero's shoulder. "Now... Move..."

Heero did not need to be asked twice. Slowly pulling out, Heero groaned as he felt the inner walls of Duo's channel grip and squeeze his member. It was heaven and Heero really had to focus so he wouldn't give into his primal instincts and just pound into Duo's tight body like some kind of animal. Slowly, they built a rhythm, Heero slowly moving in and out of Duo's body while the braided teen under him moaned panted in encouragements.

Shifting his hips a little, Heero helped Duo lift his hips before having the braided teen wrap his legs around him, making the position a bit more comfortable for them both. Pushing into Duo's body again, he could feel Duo's back arch before a cry of pleasure was torn from the Americans throat. Looked like he had finally located the prostate he had been reading so much about.

"Heero, for the love of God," Duo almost sobbed while tightening the grip he had with his legs. "Start moving! Now!"

Heero only growled and snapped his hips forward, letting at last his instincts take over. Plunging and windrawing in a steady rhythm, Heero let himself feel the act. He could feel Duo on his skin, could taste him on his lips, hear him as Duo cried out in pleasure. Sweat was dripping from his forehead and he gripped the bedsheets hard in his hands, not once stopping the movements.

Duo clenched to his shoulders, moaning and crying out Heero's name while moving his hips the best he could. His softened erection was now fully hard and was sobbing tears of frustration between the two teens sweat slicked bodies.

Heero could already feel the heat boil in his groin, but he wasn't able to stop the movements. He could feel Duo's hand between their bodies, touching his own erection, a task Heero would have loved to do, but couldn't muster up the brainpower to preform. All he could do was propel his hips back and forward while letting growls and moans escape his lips.

Heero could feel Duo's inner walls tighten around him, the inner muscles clench and unclench before Duo let out a keening wail, and something wet and warm started spilling onto his stomach. Heero gritted his teeth before snapping his hips forward the best he could, Duo's insides was keeping his member in a death grip. Letting out a wail of his own, Heero could feel himself spasm before his own release followed, quickly followed by another cry of passion. "Duo! Ai shiteru!"

Stars danced inside Heero's head as his hips continued to pump before he finally managed to stop. Duo's channel had milked him for all he had and it was mere willpower that made Heero able to keep himself up. The arms around his neck fell down and the legs around his waist moved away, allowing his member to slip out of Duo's channel. Moving a little to the side before collapsing onto the bed, Heero panted like he had run the same marathon as earlier twice.

Feeling Duo shift beside him, Heero moved as well so he could snuggle up to his new lover.

Lover...

What a nice word.

Placing his head onto Duo's chest, Heero closed his eyes while trying to regain his breath as well as his wits. He could feel Duo's heartbeats under his ear as well as his chest move up and down as Duo tried to regain his breath.

"Wow..."

Panting slightly as he put a hand on Heero's head, Duo stared emptily into the air, wearing a goofy grin. Heero chuckled while listening the the sound off Duo's beating heart from his place on Duo's chest. "Yeah..."

Duo chuckled back while running a hand through Heero's hair. "... Wow..."

Lifting his head from his spot, Heero smiled back, convinced that he at least looked half as goofy as Duo did with his grin. "You've already said that..."

Duo grinned and winked while taking a deep breath to calm himself. "And I'll keep on repeating it until I get down from the stars..."

Heero snorted and places his head back on Duo's chest, lifting a tired hand to brush some off his bangs away from his sweaty forehead. He had never had a work-out like that before, at least not as enjoyable. Using a hand to stroke over Duo's arm, Heero waited until his breath had settled down before he asked the one question that had been worrying him since they started on the act.

"So... How... How was-?"

Duo snorted and Heero could feel his lover's chest rumble under his ear.

"How good it was for me?"

Heero blushed and nodded while keeping his gaze firmly away from Duo's face. It did not help the fact that a nipple was laying in the middle of his view; a nipple that he had licked and sucked at just mere moments ago. It was still hard and was slightly wet from sweat and saliva, it looked kind off tempting and-

"This is a Peter question, isn't it?"

Damn, if that did not ruin the temptation. Any stirring between his legs immediately stopped and all off Heero's dirty thoughts went down the drain. Not replying to Duo's question, Heero simply set his jaws more tight and closed his eyes. He felt like such a mood-breaker.

"You're worried that you weren't up to Peter's standards?"

'Damn it... What are you, a god damned mind-reader?' Nodding slowly, Heero could feel the blush cover his face. Blinking a little as he heard Duo's chest rumble again before the braided teens rich laugh bubbled up from his throat and spilled into the room. Lifting his head, Heero glared a little at his lover. "What?"

Duo continued to laugh, his eyes as squeezed shut and one hand was clenched over his chest. "You-! You are comparing yourself to Peter!"

Heero nodded dumbly and already felt like his entire world, not to mention pride, was being shut down to pieces. "Hai..."

Duo continued to laugh for a few more seconds before his laugh died down to a gentle chuckling and finally disappeared into panting. Lifting his hands up to Heero's cheeks, Duo pulled his lover's head down and brought his lips down to his own for a gentle kiss. Murmuring softly into the kiss, Duo smiled softly. "Heero... It's nothing to compare..."

Breathing against Duo's lips, Heero let out a little sigh and closed his eyes, his lips still trailing softly over Duo's own kiss-swollen lips. "But he was your first..."

"True," Duo purred back before wrapping his arms around Heero's neck, pulling him flush to his own body and buried his face in Heero's neck. "There is something special about the first time, but my first time was so awful that I don't even count it in... Don't you remember that I told you that sex with Peter was like rape?"

Heero nodded into Duo's own neck, inhaling the scent of sweat, sex and pure Duo that was still lingering on the pale skin.

"Heero... You don't have to compare yourself to Peter... Compared to him, you were a God..." Pulling his face a little back, Duo locked his eyes with Heero and smiled softly. "You did great... You didn't hurt me, you lasted longer than a minute..." Heero could not help but chuckle at that and a smile of his own appeared on his face. Duo grinned and tweaked Heero's nose. "All in all, that was the best sex I've ever had in my life. Not that I've had much, but hey! Details, smechtails."

Heero laughed and leaned down to give his boyfriend a loving kiss. "At least I can tell you that you're better that Mrs. Palm and her five daughters."

Duo snorted and grinned back. "A sense of humour! I'm loving it!"

Heero just snorted and placed his head back onto Duo's chest, intending to soak up some more snuggling time.

"But Heero? Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot," Heero murmured softly while closing his eyes, enjoying the warmth and softness from Duo's body, the gentle beating of his heart, the movement from Duo's chest as it rose up and down with each breath he took-

"When you came, you shouted something I didn't get. What did you say?"

The absolute horror that he had been caught expressing his feeling when he was at his most vulnerable. After all, who the hell was thinking when having the orgasm of their lives?

"Erm," Heero stuttered while feeling his face redden. It was not that he was ashamed over it; after all, he did love Duo. The thing was that Heero was wondering if it was too soon to express feelings like that. He had been brought up in a home where saying "I love you" out of the blue was just as rare as striking oil in ones backyard. "W-what are you thinking about? I was shouting a lot of things..."

Duo chuckled and places his hand on Heero's head again, stroking his hair lovingly. "Yeah, I know. I got some of the words like God and Duo, but you shouted something just before you collapsed on top off me. Sounded somethin' like... 'I shit on you,' which I dearly hope is not some kind of kink or secret fantasy that you have because I can tell you already now that water sports1 is not a kink or fantasy of mine."

Heero coughed and blushed even deeper before jerking his head up. It was better to tell the truth that letting Duo believe that taking a shit on him was a fantasy of his. "I said ai shiteru..."

With a snap off his fingers, Duo smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that was it! I... Umm... Say again?"

"Ai shiteru..."

"Yeah, that!" Nodding to himself in a pleased matter, Duo pulled Heero's head back onto his head before resuming the stroking. The room was silent for a while before Duo broke the silence. "What does that mean anyway? It's Japanese, right?"

Heero nodded while trying his best to fight off the blush on his face. "Hai... And... And it's not really important, it's nothing..."

"Aw, come on!" Duo lifted Heero's head back on and as soon as Heero was at eye-level with his boyfriend, he could see the mischievous glimmer in Duo's eyes. "What does it mean? Was it like, a dirty phrase or somethin'?"

Heero shook his head and sighed a little before letting his gaze trail downwards. "No, it's... It's not a dirty phrase per say, it's... It's a... It's a very... Strong phrase... Not something that is easily used in Japan..."

The glimmer disappeared, but the look of curiosity was still visible in Duo's eyes, but now it was accompanied by a look of understanding. Feeling a little more relaxed, Heero took a deep breath, confident that no matter how Duo felt on the subject, he would not just ditch him. "It's... Well... I have to explain it more... Throughout for you to understand it's meaning... You see... In Japan, people are a little more... Closed in when it comes to feelings and emotions. You won't see couples walking around on the streets, holding hands and kissing, at least not in public and... When it comes to words of affections..." Swallowing a little, Heero bit his lower lip before daring himself to continue. "When it comes to sweet nothings and affections... Well... If you get a Japanese man or woman to say suki da, or da suki, consider yourself lucky."

"And that means?" Duo raised an eyebrow while placing a hand on Heero's arm, giving it a little squeeze to urge him to go on.

"It means... It means 'I like you' or 'I like you very much'." Heero could feel his cheeks redden and he suddenly felt very afraid. Duo was looking at him with a completely serious face, the only visible emotions that was visible was the ones that was swirling around in his eyes, but Heero couldn't read them. It was simply too many.

"And so... What you said was?"

Heero swallowed again and lowered his voice to an almost whisper. "Ai shiteru... It's a phrase that is found mostly in manga and anime... The... Strength of the phrase makes it... Well... Very rarely, if at all, used in real life..."

"And?" Duo's own voice was a mere whisper and Heero could feel that Duo's hand had moved from his scalp to his cheek.

Looking directly into Duo's Cobalt blue eyes, Heero concluded his explanation. "Was I am trying to say is... Is that I love you..."

Duo did not say anything, he just simply stared at Heero. Heero swallowed again, the silence was already getting to him and it took all that he had to remain in the bed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Duo gently cupped Heero's cheek and whispered. "Do you... Really mean that?"

Heero nodded. "Hai... I love you, Duo..."

Feeling Duo grasp both is cheeks, he was almost brutally pulled down for a kiss that reached all the way down to his toes. It wasn't strong enough to bruise, but it was rough enough for Heero to feel their teeth clack together, but Heero couldn't care less. He simply tangled his hands into Duo's loose hair and rolled them over so that Duo was on top off him, straddling his hips. Heero's lungs was screaming after air, but he didn't stop. Not before he felt the first splash of something wet hit his cheek.

Pulling back, Heero sucked in a lungful off air before opening his eyes. Blinking in shock, he brought one hand to Duo's cheek and gently dried away the wetness he found there. "You're... You're crying... Why are you-?"

Leaning up, Heero gently kissed away the tears that kept trailing down Duo's cheeks. "Please don't cry..."

Duo sniffled and used the back off his hand to dry the tears away. "I'm sorry, I just can't help it. You just made me so incredible happy."

Happy? Moving his eyes from Duo's teary eyes to his mouth, Heero noticed that Duo's face wasn't sad-looking. In fact, his face had brought out into the biggest grin he had ever seen on the braided teen. "Duo?"

Duo sniffled again before letting out a little strained laugh. Placing his hand over Heero's, Duo gave Heero a wet smile before murmuring. "Nobody has ever said that to me before... Sure, Helen and Father and the guys tell me, well except Wufei, but you know him, and... Well... This is the first time that anybody has said it like this... And... And I'm just so happy that you feel that way because I totally feel the same and I was too scared to tell you because I was afraid that you would look at me as some sort of over-sensitive girlie-man version of Quatre, and please don't tell him I said that and-"

Quitting Duo's rant with his free hand, Heero tried his best to gather his wits long enough to actually catch the sentence. "Duo, did you say-?"

Duo blushed a little before nodding, his smile still at place. "Yeah... Yeah, I did say what you think I said... I love you, Hee-man. I've been in love with you for a long time..."

Heero blinked a few times before his face broke into an equal large grin. Moving his hands away from Duo's mouth and cheek to place them on Duo's hips instead, he could not help but purr. "Duo..."

Leaning forward, Duo brushed their noses together before purring. "Say it, baby..."

Heero chuckled. "I love you..."

"Again..."

"I love you..."

"Again..."

" I- ... Did you hear that?"

Blinking a little, Duo sat up and started listening. He did not hear anything and looked down at Heero to tell him that when he suddenly heard the jingling from keys. Feeling his eyes widen and his hands tighten into fists, Duo stared down at Heero. "Heero, is that-?"

Heero nodded and tightened his own grip on Duo's hips. "Yeah. My parents are home."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: 1 As far as I understand, water sports is, when during sex, is when people take it to the extreme. And with extreme I mean, peeing and shitting on you. . I don't get why some people are into that._

_Dun dun duuuuuuuhn! The parents are home, and Heero and Duo are completely taken with their pants down (pun intended). Will they be able to save their asses (pun not intended), or will Heero's father find out about his son's sexuality in the worst possible way?_

_Okay, this was my very first lime/lemon (depends on how sensitive you are) so do forgive me if some parts was wrong or just plain stupid. Oh, and I will change the ratings from K to an R now, just so you know. Just to be on the safe side._

_Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- Thankee!_


	38. A Dream

**New Hope Home**

That's right. I'm evil. I'm real, REAL evil. snickers This was based on the experience a friend of mine had. She and her boyfriend had just finished the act and were snuggling up in the bed when her parents came home. What happens to Heero and Duo now is about the same that happened to her and her boyfriend. Enjoy!

----

"A Dream:"

"I- ... Did you hear that?"

Blinking a little, Duo sat up and started listening. He did not hear anything and looked down at Heero to tell him that when he suddenly heard the jingling from keys. Feeling his eyes widen and his fists tighten into fists, Duo stared down at Heero. "Heero, is that-?"

Heero nodded and tightened his own grip on Duo's hips. "Yeah. My parents are home."

Duo let out a sound that could best be described as a duck before sitting up on the bed. "Shit! What are we gonna do?! I dunno about you, but I don't wanna come out to your parents like this!"

"And you think I do," Heero snapped back while trying his best to locate his boxers on the floor. Handing Duo's boxers to the braided teen, Heero growled while listening to the front door open. "Get your boxers on, now!"

Duo did as he was told, but still couldn't help the mix of panic and annoyance that came over his face. "And just what do you have in mind, oh bright one?!"

Yanking a t-shirt over his head, Heero kicked his quilt down onto the floor while trying to sit up straight. "Just trust me, okay? Just sit up straight, shut up and do as I say!"

Hanging up his jacket on its usual spot in the hall, Mr. Yuy ran a hand through his hair and sighed. His back was aching and all he wanted to do was goto bed. His wife wouldn't be home before an other hour.

Kicking off his shoes before bending down to put them at their usual spot, Mr. Yuy blinked when his eyes caught something that didn't belong in the house. A pair of black and well-used shoes.

Looking up, Mr. Yuy noticed that a leather jacket was hanging next to Heero's own blue jacket and if he listened carefully, he could hear noise from the living room. Stepping into the hall, Mr. Yuy cast a glance towards the living room, finding that the TV was on, but nobody was watching. Locating the remote under a pillow on the couch, Mr. Yuy turned the TV off before straining his ears to find any other sounds in the house.

Stepping quietly back into the main hall, Mr. Yuy put a hand on the staircase while listening, keeping his breath to make sure that nothing else was blocking out any potential sounds. He could hear shuffling up-stairs as well as muttered voices. Mr. Yuy frowned and slowly started to walk up the stairs while trying his best to hear what was being said.

Stopping on the top-step, Mr. Yuy placed a hand on the wall while continuing to listen. The voices were louder now, but not any clearer. Sometimes he would hear laughing. Frowning even harder, Mr. Yuy hurried down the hall until he was located right in front off Heero's bedroom door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, Mr. Yuy tried to hear what was going on in his son's room.

Rich laughter continued to fill his ears and he could swear that he heard that braided fag's hoarse voice in there. 'It's way past midnight,' Mr. Yuy thought to himself while tightening his grip on the knob. 'What the hell is he doing in my son's room at this hour?! Unless-!'

Unable to contain both his rage and his curiosity, Mr. Yuy roughly opened the door and glared into the room. But what he saw wasn't what he was expecting to find.

"Oh, hi Mr. Yuy! Didn't hear ya there."

"Otasan."

On his son's bed were Heero and the braided teen, both with a set of cards in their hands and both dressed for the night. Duo was wearing a pair of black boxers and what seemed to be one off Heero's old t-shirts from the kick boxing team he was part of in San Francisco. The long hair was loose and a few strains of hair were tossed over Duo's shoulder. Heero was dressed in a plain white shirt and a pair of blue sweatpants.

Duo just smiled and waved while holding his cards out of Heero's sight. "Just having' a midnight game before we jump to bed."

Heero nodded while picking on the edge of one of the cards. "Hai... We didn't mean to be up so late, but we got carried away. Duo will be quiet when he goes to bed."

Duo nodded and tried to smile even wider while still looking innocent. It was tickling his ears now.

Mr. Yuy just nodded dumbly while narrowing his eyes. "H-hai... Okay... Just... Just be quiet and... Hai..."

"Can do, sir," Duo chirped merrily before looking at Heero. "Have any fours?"

Heero shook his head. "Go fish." Giving his father a slightly cold glare, he mumbled quietly. "Oyasumi, otasan."

"Hai... Oyasumi, Heero," Mr. Yuy mumbled back before closing the door.

Heero continued to listen until he could hear his father's footsteps disappear down the hall and a door open. Letting out a breath he did not realize he had been holding, Heero let the cards in his hand drop onto the bed. "He's gone..."

Duo let out a loud sigh as well before falling backwards on the bed with a hand over his eyes. "Holy shit, man. That's the scariest shit I've ever experienced and I've been caught smoking by Helen when I was twelve."

Heero snorted and gave his lover a look. "You've been smoking?"

Duo snorted back and pulled a face at Heero. "Once, when I was twelve. She made me finish the whole cigarette while yelling into my ear how bad it was for my health and how stupid I was acting." Letting out another sigh, Duo added quietly. "Never understood what the big deal is about smokin'. Tastes like crap and it's bad for you. Why do it?"

Heero shrugged before clawing over to the foot end off the bed and laid down next to his lover. Placing an arm over Duo's stomach, Heero pulled him close before nuzzling his neck. "People have different reasons, I guess..."

Duo snorted before turning his head to give Heero a sleepy look. Smiling softly, Duo reached out a hand to cup Heero's cheek. "I guess..."

Heero only smiled back before pulling a face and sitting up, tugging at the hem of his pajamas. Sitting up with him, Duo gave his lover a curious look. "What is it?"

Heero only grimaced before sticking his hand down into his pants. "I'm still wearing the god damned condom."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Heero! Duo! I'm so glad you could make it!"

Waving from his spot behind the keyboard, Quatre flashed the two teens a broad grin before resuming to his previous task of locating the right wires to the keyboard and have them fastened. "Please, have a seat. We're almost ready."

Duo just nodded before dumping down onto a seat. Letting out a little yelp of discomfort, Duo pulled a face and started to rub his lower back. Heero placed himself carefully next to him and gently took over the task while looking around in the room. "Where is Wufei?"

Trowa handed Quatre a wire before quietly replying. "He's running a little late. Apparently the mutt ran into some complications during the surgery. Nothing serious according to Wufei, but enough to slow him down."

Duo snorted while leaning against Heero's hand. "Wufei can say what he want about that dog, but we all know that he's completely in love with that fur ball."

Trowa just snorted and turned his head so his face became covered by his bangs. "I don't get it. That dog's about as friendly as a scorpion."

"Suits Wufei down to a tee, wouldn't you say," Duo snickered back before swatting Heero's hand away as his fingers started to tease Duo at the small of his back.

"Now, now, behave, both of you," Quatre scolded before switching on the keyboard, making a happy sound when the little light started to glow.

Duo snorted again before leaning back against the chair with his hands behind his head. "Any words from Hilde then? She called me, but I was out of funds on my cell so I couldn't call her back."

"I figured as much," Quatre replied while playing a little tune on the keyboard. "She called me last night and told me that you didn't answer the phone. She figured you were busy since it was Valentine'sDay and all." Grinning a little, Quatre winked to Duo while turning up the volume on the keyboard. "At least that's what Heero told me when I asked."

Heero snorted and shot Quatre a mild glare. "I only told you that I was planning to take Duo out for dinner."

Duo nodded while grinning smugly. "I got both dinner AND dessert!"

Heero snorted before clasping his hand in front of mouth in a desperate attempt to seize his laughter. Getting his snickers at bay, Heero cleared his throat and gave his lover a smug look. Quatre just raised his eyebrow while giving the two teens an odd look. "What's so funny?"

Heero only shook his head and flashed Quatre a grin. "Nothing, Quatre. Just something that happened during... Dessert yesterday. It's a thing you would not get unless you where there."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have been willing to share," Duo snickered while trying his best not to double over from laughing.

Quatre just gave them a weird stare before going back to the keyboard. Trowa just shook his head before fishing his phone up from his pocket. "I'll call Wufei and see where he is."

"Can ya give Hilde a jingle too," Duo asked before the door to the music room flung open and Hilde waltzed into the room.

"Nothing to fear, the babe's 'ere," she chirped merrily before bouncing down onto Heero's lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Heero raised his eyebrow before moving the energetic girl away from his lap. "You're in a good mood today."

"Ain't I always," Hilde winked back before slipping off her jacket.

"Well, if we call you before ten on a weekend, you're not always so merry," Duo quipped back while grinning, only to get Hilde's jacket flung at his face. Laughing, Duo handed the jacket to Quatre who hung it up over another chair in the room. Trowa just slowly slipped out of the room, muttering something about calling Wufei.

Pressing a quick kiss onto Heero's cheek before getting up from his seat, Duo walked over to the guitars and picked up his favourite. "Oi, Heero. Get over here."

Raising an eyebrow, Heero got up and walked over to his lover. "What?"

Duo grinned and handed the guitar to Heero. "Since the Wuffster ain't here, we can might as well do something productive while we wait."

Heero snorted and held the guitar at an arms length from himself. "I don't think so."

"Well, I do," Duo quipped back and grabbed the belt. Fastening it over Heero's shoulder and around his waist, Duo patted his lovers butt before grinning. "There. All set."

Heero just shook his head and gently grasped the neck of the guitar in his hands. Positioning his fingers over the strings, Heero gave Duo a little look before brushing his thumb over the strings. "There. An A. I still remember."

Duo chuckled before moving behind Heero and placed his hands over Heero's. "Very good, young grasshopper. Now I'll teach you how to play a B."

Ignoring the snickering from the girl behind him, Heero watched Duo's fingers curl over the strings. Replacing the braided boy's fingers with his own, Heero brushed his thumb over the strings again, producing a different tone.

Duo grinned and pressed a kiss to Heero's neck. "Very good, Heero. Now you played a B."

Quatre chuckled and shook his head. "Duo, no need to give step-by-step instructions. Just sit down with another guitar and show him the grips like that. Just like you did with me."

Duo just grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at Heero who started to laugh. Quatre blinked. "What?"

Duo winked before leaning over and grabbed Heero's earlobe between his teeth. "Heero likes step-by-step instructions..."

"No, I don't," Heero groaned and tried his best not to jump the braided boy in front of his friends.

Quatre gave his friends a quizzical look before searching answers with Hilde. Hilde just shrugged and looked just as confused as he was.

After five minutes, Trowa popped his head into the room. "I'm gonna go and pick up Wufei. He's a little irritated 'cause his father doesn't want him to use the car." Looking at Quatre, Trowa scratched the back of his neck. "Umm... Quatre? Where are my car-keys?"

Duo started snorting while showing Heero how to play a D minor on a guitar of his own. Quatre ignored the snickering from the braided teen and picked up Trowa's jacket. Tossing it to his boyfriend, Quatre blew him a kiss before smiling. "Car keys are in your left pocket. Drive safe now."

Trowa smiled back and nodded. "I will," he replied softly before he closed his door.

"Don't forget your license," Duo yelled out while grinning, then started laughing as he heard the muttered "Shit!" from the other side of the door. Heero just shook his head.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"So how does it feel to have robbed your dog from all the pleasure of the world," Duo asked while Heero put away the used guitars.

The normal band-rehearsal had been cancelled and the gang had used two hours to teach Heero how to play on the various instruments in the room. He now knew how to play the first verse of Puff the Magic Dragon' on guitar as well as 'Baa-Baa Black Sheep', while he was just about mastering 'Never Smile at a Crocodile'' on the piano. He didn't dare to try out the drums since it looked like Wufei was very attached to that particular instrument. "It's the only way he gets out his anger," Duo had explained before adding that after the rehearsals, the sticks went back up Wufei's ass were they belonged. That had earned Duo a death threat and a run around the house with an angry Wufei after him, while Heero remained in the music room, wondering why he was being taught children's songs instead of something proper.

When Wufei turned back up with Duo's head in a headlock, Duo had simply given his lover a kiss before telling him he had to go. Duo had simply nodded and wished him a good day before going back to squirming his way out of Wufei's grasp.

Ten minutes later, Trowa was driving Wufei back home while Duo and Hilde were walking back to the orphanage.

"So how's your art project coming along?"

Duo shrugged and kicked an empty soda bottle into the street. "Not so good. I'm fresh out of idea's."

"Wow, is that even possible," Hilde joked while nudging Duo's arm. Duo just grunted and shrugged, but a little smile was still tugging on his lips. Hilde smiled and entwined her arm with his. "So... What is the theme?"

"A dream," Duo replied and walking. "But I dunno what to draw or if it's supposed to be something we dream about or dream at night."

"Isn't it up to the person," Hilde asked while looking up at her friend.

Duo shrugged again. "I'm not sure. Noin told us to 'unleash' ourselves so I suppose we can draw just about everything we want as long as we have a proper explanation to go with the piece."

Hilde chuckled before studying Duo's face a little closer. "Duo... Is there something you're not telling me?"

Duo blinked and looked down at the shorter girl. "What do you mean?"

Hilde nudged his side before grinning. "Don't give me that, Duo! You're positively glowing! Something has happened, hasn't it?"

Duo blinked and stared at Hilde. "What are-?"

"I'm a girl," Hilde cut off, still grinning like a loon. "I know these things. So... Care to share?"

Duo smiled secretively for a while swinging his upper body a little from side to side while walking before grabbing Hilde's arm and whispered. "We did it last night!"

Hilde raised an eyebrow. "You mean..."

Duo beamed and stared Hilde straight in the eyes. "Me and Heero! We did it last night!"

Hilde let out a little squeal and grabbed Duo's biceps. "Are you serious?! You and Heero-! You guys did it?!"

Duo nodded and let his grin become even wider. "And we almost got caught doing it!"

Hilde laughed out loud before dragging Duo to a nearby bench and sat down, dragging Duo down to sit beside of her. Taking Duo's hand in hers, Hilde looked her ex-boyfriend straight in the eyes. "So tell me everything. Everything down to every last, little, dirty detail!"

Duo chuckled and smiled. "It was... God, it was amazing!"

Hilde grinned and winked. "Yeah?"

Duo nodded. "It was awkward, clumsy, a little messy, but absolutely perfect!"

Hilde snorted and poked Duo's ribs. "Well, by the sound of it you ain't picky."

"Oh, shut up," Duo grimaced before getting a dreamy expression on his face. "But it was great... Heero was so gentle and tender, he didn't rush anything, and he even asked if I wanted to be top or bottom. He was... He was completely opposite of Peter and... Gods, I can't even describe it!"

Hilde snickered and winked. "Well, by they way your walking lacked its usual grace, I'd say you were on the receiving end of things."

Duo blushed a little, but he still grinned. "Yeah... Heero was a virgin either way and since I already knew what to expect from being bottom, I thought I might as well be the one. Besides, now Heero won't worry about being bottom at a later date since he's seenfirst hand how I acted."

Hilde chuckled. "Good plan."

Duo chuckled before he folded his hands onto his lap and looked down onto the ground, still with a small, yet genuine and happy smile playing on his lips. "Do you know what he told me when we were done, Hilde?"

Hilde stopped smiling for a second, feeling a little worried. "What?" Duo's gaze never left the ground and Hilde thought she could see Duo's eyes moisten just a little. "Duo?"

Duo looked up at her, a few tears trailing down a pale cheek. "He told me he loved me."

"Oh, my god..." Hilde's hand found it's way up to her lips and she couldn't help but gasp.

Duo just smiled and dried away the tears. "He did. And I knew he was speaking the truth because... Well, because it was Heero and... And I thought that... I've never..." Letting a half-sob escape from his throat along with laughter, Duo rubbed his eyes before shaking his bangs away from his eyes, still smiling happily. "I told him I loved him back. Hilde, I've never felt this way about anybody before. Sure, I've had crushes, but this feels so serious, so right. It's like... I dunno. A dream, maybe." Chuckling a little, Duo murmured softly. "It's like he's the one. Mr. Right... The one for me."

Hilde smiled and covered Duo's hands with her own. "Oh, Duo... I'm so happy for you... I can't think off anybody that deserves this more than you do..."

Duo smiled back and released one of his hands so he could cover Hilde's own hand with it. "Thank you, Hilde... That means a lot to me..."

Hilde smiled and squeezed Duo's hand before her eyes lit up and she chirped happily. "Duo... These new feelings... What do they make you feel?"

Duo raised an eyebrow and stared at the girl in front of him like she's just grown an extra head. "Didn't I just share that with you?"

Hilde nodded, the smile still present on her face. "Yeah, you did. But do you think you can get those feelings onto a piece of paper?"

Duo shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't really thought about it, but if I tried, I may get something out of it. Why?"

Hilde just grinned. "I think we've just found your project."

----

_Author's Notes: I know, I know. I'm evil. But how did you like it? Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- _


	39. Private Moments

**New Hope Home**

Well, time to kick it up a notch, isn't it? I know you're all dying to find out just _how_ Heero's father is going to react. Well, I can promise you that you'll find out soon.

Very soon.

…

Bwahahaha!!!

---

"Private Moments:"

"Heero!"

Heero turned as Duo came running after him and stopped. Chuckling a little as Duo bent over, Heero grasped Duo's arm and made him straighten back up. "What are you doing here," he asked while brushing the messy bangs away from Duo's face. "I thought you had basketball practice."

Duo nodded while placing a hand over his chest so he could catch his breath. "In half an hour," he replied and grinned. "I just wondered if you would stop drop by the orphanage later today so we can study. Helen's making cookies."

Heero chuckled and nodded. "Sure thing. Wouldn't wanna miss Helen's cookies."

Duo just grinned before dipping his hand into his bag and handed Heero his sketchbook. "Can you take care of this for me? Last time I left it in the locker, someone had snooped in it."

Heero nodded and placed the book into his own bag. "Was it very private?"

Duo shook his head and hoisted the strap a little further up on his shoulder. "No, just sketches for Noin's classes," he replied before leaning over to place a kiss on Heero's lips. "I'll see ya later, 'kay?"

Heero nodded and grasped Duo's chin to further deepen the kiss a little. "I'll see you later," he echoed and pressed a quick kiss to Duo's cheek before releasing him.

Duo turned and waved before hurrying down the hall, leaving Heero to his own thoughts. Sighing softly, Heero hoisted his bag further over his shoulder before making sure that it was closed. He didn't want Duo's precious sketch-book to be ruined. Walking over to his locker, Heero unlocked it before finding the books he needed for the study with Duo and also do discard some of the books he didn't need anymore. Closing the locker after finding what he wanted, Heero leaned against it while waiting for a certain blond to come and meet him.

"Heero!"

Looking up, Heero could see the blond coming towards him. Pushing himself of the locker, Heero took a few steps towards the teen. "Hey Quatre."

Stopping next to the Japanese teen, Quatre ran a hand through his bangs before flashing Heero a bright smile. "Sorry I'm late. The test was harder than I thought."

Heero only nodded. "That's okay. Trowa still in there?"

Quatre nodded while opening his own locker. "Yeah. I think he's struggling a little even though we spent all evening yesterday and the day before that studying."

"Studying or making out," Heero asked while raising an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.

Quatre only blushed and looked up the books he needed, not really wanting to answer the question. Heero only chuckled.

"So when are you going to Duo's?"

Heero shrugged while unzipping his jacket a little as he walked towards the exit. "I don't know. He'll message me once he's back home and has done his chores."

Quatre nodded and adjusted his backpack a little. "Okay. I hope the orphanage is giving him some slack now, since we're getting so close to our finals and everything."

"Of course they will," Heero replied and nudged the door open with his shoulder. "His education means a lot to both Helen and Father Maxwell. They won't put any pressure on him when it comes to his chores."

"That's true," Quatre replied before squinting as the bright sun outside hit his eyes. Using a hand to shelter them from the light, Quatre turned to face Heero again. "Say, it's your birthday soon, isn't it?"

Heero nodded while starting to walk towards the exit of the school yard. "Hai. But don't plan anything, my family and I are probably going home to celebrate with the rest of the family. Unless they come to us, of course."

"Home?"

Heero glanced over his shoulder as Quatre jogged up to his side. "Home. To Japan."

"I see," Quatre replied and nodded to himself. Deciding to change the subject for now, Quatre spoke up. "Have you applied for any schools yet?"

Heero shook his head before shrugging. "My father wants me to go to Harvard or Yale or something. He can't decide if I would be better of as a lawyer or a doctor," Heero grimaced before sighing. "I just hope he won't send me off too far."

Quatre blinked at Heero's answer and stopped, grasping Heero's arm in order to make the other teen stop as well. "Heero… You are letting your father decide what you are going to do?"

Heero shrugged and used a hand to hoist the bag more properly over his shoulder. "I suppose. Doesn't really matter, I don't really have any visions for what I wanna be."

"Surely you must have some dreams," Quatre replied and gave Heero a look. "Everybody has something they want to become or want to do."

Heero turned quiet with that and let his gaze fall to the ground, studying the remaining ice that was covering the ground here and there.

"Heero?"

"I…" Heero started before looking up towards the sky. "I wanna fly…"

Quatre blinked. "Pardon?"

Heero let his lips tug into a small, but slightly sad smile. "I have always liked planes and when I was little, I wanted to fly… I… I guess becoming a pilot is something that I want…"

Quatre smiled and placed a hand on Heero's shoulder. "Well, that's a great wish and you certainly have both the grades and the body to become one. I am sure there are many schools that should be to your liking and-"

Placing a finger over the blonds' mouth, Heero gave him a look. "Quatre… If I am to become a pilot… Then I want to do it by entering the army or the US air force. Being a pilot at a normal passenger-plane… I don't know if that's quite for me."

Quatre nodded at that. "I understand. But if that's what you want, then what's stopping you?"

"Take a wild guess," Heero mumbled before starting to walk again. "My father doesn't want me to enter the army. He says that I am better than that."

"Well, that's nice to hear, but he really shouldn't stop you from doing what you really want," Quatre protested while following his friend. "I mean, if you want to become a pilot, then you should try it."

"Quatre, just drop it," Heero barked before sighing. "Just… Forget it, please… I am already disappointing my father enough as it is and while I wanna be able to think for myself… Some things aren't that easy to just break off…" Running a hand through his bangs, Heero looked towards the street where he lived before sighing again. "My father only wants for me to have a good future, get a good job with a wife and children. He wants for me to get and be able to take care of a family… Yes, I have the grades for a good school, but ever since I got here, I've just ruined everything."

"Heero," Quatre started, only to shut up when Heero raised his hand.

"Don't get me wrong, Quatre… I am glad that I have changed… But it's hard… This is something that's been going on since I was a child and to just disobey him with everything… Talking back… Staying out instead of studying… Being gay… I am proud of who I am, but…" Sighing yet again, Heero closed his eyes and lowered his head.

Quatre studied his friend for a while before speaking up. "This… Really isn't easy for you, is it?"

Heero nodded before slowly starting to walk again. "Iie…"

"Does Duo know?"

Heero shrugged. "Some of it, but I don't want to trouble him. He knows I have a hard time just coming out of the closet to him and he supports me… I guess he doesn't know the depth of it… But this is something I want to do for myself. I need to do this for myself so I can stay in control of the situation. I… I need to have the control. Besides, he's already to the neck in chores and things to do, he doesn't need any more on his plate."

Quatre nodded and stopped as the road split and their walk together ended. "I suppose I understand somewhat what you're saying, but I was not raised like you so I suppose I have no right saying that I understand totally. But I hope you know that we all love and care for you and if you need anything, just ask. We wanna help you and only wish for you to be happy."

Heero nodded before tip-toping a little. He didn't want to go home, his father was home, but he really didn't want Quatre to keep talking the way he was now. He felt like a child. He knew Quatre only wanted what was best for him, but he really didn't need this. He'd already gotten enough of that when he was sick.

"Well, I best be off. See you during the week-end. Don't forget that I'm taking everyone out," Quatre smiled before starting to walk.

Heero nodded. "I won't. I'll see you later," he replied before starting the walk home. All he had to do was get home, greet his father, look up some books and kill an hour or two, then he could go to Duo and get some work done. Every since he got together with 'The Fallen Angels', studying at home had been out of the question. He just couldn't focus there anymore. He needed Duo's voice around him, or Trowa's silent grunting when he was reading something he didn't quite get. Hell, he even wanted Hilde hanging all over him if that's what it took. He was used to movement now and the silence in his room was deafening.

Sighing, Heero shook his head before jogging the last few meters to his house. The car was parked outside so his father was home, making Heero groan ever so slightly. Since when had his relationship with his father grow so bad?

'Since I started thinking for myself,' Heero thought and gritted his teeth before opening the front door. "Taidama1," he called out as he closed the door behind him, not really expecting anyone to greet him at the door.

Mr. Yuy just nodded to him as he walked out from the kitchen and started walking towards his office.

Heero sighed and started shrugging off his jacket. "I'll be going out later so don't bother setting the table for me."

Mr. Yuy raised an eyebrow and stopped by the office door. "And where will you be going?"

"To Duo," Heero replied while slipping off his shoes, then grasped his bag before walking towards the stairs. "We'll be studying for a test we have in a few days."

Mr. Yuy grunted at that and didn't look very happy about that fact. "Can't you study at home? You get more work done if you study at home."

"Not anymore," Heero replied. "I can't focus when I'm surrounded by silence. It's more deafening than noise can ever be."

Mr. Yuy frowned and walked towards the stairs, intending to follow and question his son further. "Don't take that tone with me, Heero," he barked, making Heero turn half-way on the stairs.

"All my tones are "that tone" with you these days," he barked back, giving his father a glare of his own. "You say that I talk back to you with everything I say now and I'm growing tired of it! Can't I have a fucking opinion of my own?!"

"Don't talk back at me and don't swear! The only people who swear are people with nothing to say!"

"Don't talk to me as if I am five, otasan! And I have nothing more to say to you! Not anymore! Because everything I say now is just bullshit for you anyway!" Heero replied harshly while continuing his trip up the stairs, walking a lot quicker than before.

"Heero Yuy, come back this instance!" Mr. Yuy yelled back while continuing to follow his son.

"Make me," Heero yelled back before walking into his room and slammed his door shut. A quick movement from his hand locked the door before he backed down towards his bed, sitting down on it as the back of his legs hit the frame. Sighing, Heero listened to his father shouting outside and tried his best to block the noise out. He wanted to go out, wanted to see Duo and just be held tightly by his boyfriend. He felt safe there, like nothing could harm him.

Tilting his head backwards, Heero let the back of his skull hit the wall, his eyes closing as his father continued to rattle at the door-handle. "Go away," he yelled, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "I have nothing further I want to discuss with you!" He could hear his father yell something before his door was kicked.

Then it was silent.

Letting out his breath, Heero sighed, only to jump as his cell-phone suddenly started ringing. Fumbling with his phone, Heero checked the caller before answering. "Hello?"

"Hi, babe," Duo's merry voice called out. "Listen, I'll hafta chancel out study-evening tonight. Something came up, one of the workers just turned sick. I'm telling ya, she was puking all over the place."

"I don't need details," Heero answered flatly, feeling a little sad that his evening was hereby ruined. Now he was stuck here.

"Sorry sorry," Duo laughed. "Anyway, as I said; we're one worker short and Helen asked me to take care of some of the smaller ones, changing their diapers and the likes. Lucky me, huh?"

Heero chuckled a little and a small smile found its way to his lips. "I'll take that kind of shit anyway. Better than the shit my father gives me."

"Still being a bitch," Duo asked, then yelped a little as one of the smaller kids pulled his braid. "Hey, knock it off!!"

Heero sat up on his bed. "You okay, Duo?"

"Yeah," Duo's voice answered, suddenly sounding a little flustered. "I'm okay, but the little shit took my rubber band!"

Heero chuckled. "I'll leave you to your chase then," he murmured, then chuckled a little as he heard Duo yell something in the background.

"Okay, I gotta go! I'll call ya later, babe! Bye, love ya!"

"I love you too," Heero murmured, then sighed as the line was broken, leaving only beeping in the background. "I love you too…"

---

"You're so quiet tonight, Heero. Is everything alright?"

Looking up from the potato he'd been showing around with his fork for the last half hour, Heero nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about things."

"Do I even wanna know what," his father replied dryly, earning a look from Heero's mother.

"Maybe you do, maybe you don't," Heero replied just as dryly back, earning him a look as well.

"You two behave now," Mrs. Yuy scolded, but she knew why the reason for the tension. Heero's will to please his father was crashing with his desires to live his own life, while Mr. Yuy was struggling with his own believes as well as his need to control his son, all in good will. At least in his mind. Together the wishes were crashing together, creating tension that could be cut through with a knife.

"Gomen," Heero replied in a low voice and once again focused on his meal. He honestly didn't mean to be this snappy, but he couldn't help it. 'I'm just gonna kiss Duo in front of my father the next time he's here,' he thought to himself and stabbed some vegetables.

Mr. Yuy just grunted and did the same to his own food.

The meal passed in uncomfortable silence and as soon as his plate was clean, Heero left the table.

"Can you take out the trash, Heero," Mrs. Yuy called after him and Heero nodded. That would give him some fresh air at least.

Walking into the kitchen, Heero looked up the garbage can and carefully knotted the bag so it was closed. Lifting it out of the can, Heero walked towards the hall to slip on his shoes. It wasn't very cold outside so he didn't need a jacket. Walking out, Heero jogged down towards the garbage cans on the other side of the fence. It wasn't cold, but there was a few raindrops falling, indicating that it would rain soon.

Lifting up the lid, Heero disposed of the bag and closed it again, only to jump when a pair of soft hands covered his eyes. Lashing out with his arm, Heero could hear a muffled yelp behind him, then laughter.

"Geez, way to pack a punch. Jumpy much?"

Groaning, Heero ran a hand through his hair. "Duo, don't scare me like that."

Duo chuckled and rubbed the spot on his arm where Heero had hit him. "Sorry, Heero, but I couldn't resist."

Shaking his head, Heero stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked at his boyfriend. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you said you'd been snagged for the night?"

Duo nodded and lifted up a bag from the ground. "I am. Helen sent me out to buy a few things. Diapers among them. I think some of the kids have gotten the shits."

Heero rolled his eyes. "Lovely."

Duo just snickered before lifting his free hand and trailed it over Heero's face. "Hey, why so grumpy?"

Sighing, Heero pursed his lips a little so he could kiss the soft skin on Duo's fingers. "Nothing… Was just looking forward to spending the day with you… My dad's being annoying and I don't think I'll survive being home tonight…"

"Aw, baby," Duo murmured and pulled his hand back, only to have Heero snag it with his own hand.

"Don't call me baby…" he murmured and brought the hand back up to his lips.

"Sorry, lover," Duo mused while removing his hand from Heero's lips, only to lean forward and replace them with his own lips. "Just hang in there… We're busy this week-end, remember? Just you, me and the guys… Bet we can get our own room with Quat too… If we ask nicely… Then I can show you a few tricks," he smirked, making Heero chuckle.

"As long as it doesn't involve pain, then I think I can look forward to it," he mused, pressing his lips to Duo, tugging at the male's lower lip every now and then before running his tongue over the assaulted area.

Duo chuckled too and gave Heero's own lips a few nibbles off his own. "Pain's not a turn-on for me, lover… But you are," he purred, making Heero groan.

"Don't make me jump you right here and now," he murmured, using a hand to draw Duo in closer to his body.

"What's stopping you," Duo smiled into the kiss, breaking it long enough to give Heero's earlobe a tug.

"The fear of getting arrested for public indecency," Heero replied, making Duo laugh.

"Okay, I'll behave," Duo snickered and pulled back, but not before giving Heero another light kiss on the lips. "But you are coming to Quatre's this week-end, huh? He's taking us all out."

Heero nodded. "He's already reminded me of that today. I don't think I could get out, even if I didn't wanted to go."

"But you do wanna go, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Heero murmured, running his hand lightly over Duo's side. "I so wanna spend another week-end with you next to me on the bed… And I so wanna have another night with you…" he added, his voice slightly seductive and his lips tugged into a smirk.

Duo just groaned and kissed Heero again, giving him a quick slip of the tongue before pulling away. "We're so flipping a coin to see who gets to top this time," he smirked, making Heero laugh. Then he looked up as a drop landed on his nose. "It's starting to rain."

Heero chuckled and pulled his hand away. "You don't say, Sherlock," he smirked, making Duo swat him over the head.

"Watch it, Watson, or you'll sleep alone this week-end."

Heero just chuckled and gave Duo another kiss. "Go home before you get wet and I'll see you tomorrow at Quatre's."

Duo nodded and pecked Heero's cheek before running down the street to get home before the rain really set in. Heero just watched his lover run, a content smile on his lips before shaking his head and hurried inside as well.

Meanwhile, the curtains over the window next to the front door flickered slightly, a hand clenched tightly into the fabric as the owner of a pair of brown eyes listened to Heero entering the house again.

As Heero called that he was going to his room, Mr. Yuy's brows furrowed further and as his son walked up the stairs, Mr. Yuy released the curtains and followed.

Time for a little father to son talk.

---

_Author's Notes: 1 I'm home_

_Cliffhangers!!! Oh, yeah! Love the cliffhangers!! Sorry about the delay, but I've been real busy lately with school. I'm gonna try and find some time to write in the time ahead, but don't expect me to come with another update in a while. My muse is kinda unpredictable. _

_Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- _


	40. Rain

**New Hope Home**

Well, what can I say? Smells like trouble's up ahead. Let us hope that Heero will come out of it with his spandex intact.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

"Rain:"

Rubbing his eyes as he closed the door to his room, Heero sat down next to his computer and booted it up. He might as well get some work done before school on Monday so he could go with a clean conscience to a hopefully good weekend with Quatre and the others.

Maybe he and Duo could actually do it again…

Blushing a little over his own thoughts, Heero tried to give his raging hormones a swift mental kick. As wonderful as the sex had been, Heero still felt that it was something that was going to happen natural, not planned ahead by himself. After all, he didn't know when Duo was in the mood and not.

Running a hand through his hair, Heero just sighed and picked up his bag to look up his notebook. He barely heard it when his door opened and someone came in. "Hai," he said without looking up from his bag, straightening up after finding his book, but without looking at the person that entered. "What is it?"

"I would like to have a word with you, Heero."

Feeling the breath hitch in his throat over the coldness in his father's voice, Heero swallowed before calmly placing the book onto his desk. "Be my guest, but be brief. I have some work to do," he answered in a somewhat casual tone.

Heero regretted the tone when his father grasped his shoulder hard and just about lifted him out of the chair to stand in the middle of the floor. "Don't take that tone with me, young man!" Mr. Yuy hissed, glaring at the teen in front of him.

Heero shrugged his shoulder out of his father's grasp and gave his father a glare back, rubbing the abused shoulder with his hand. "What is your problem?!"

"My problem is the fact that my only son has been lying to me," Mr. Yuy boomed back. "You have been going behind my back! You have put shame on our family's name!"

Heero's eyes widened slightly, immediately understanding that his cover was blown, before they once again was closed into mere slits. "When did you find out?" he asked in a low voice.

Mr. Yuy glared harshly at his son. "Just now," he answered in a low voice. "I saw you and that faggot outside. I would have been able to accept it had you pushed him away, but it seemed like you were enjoying his kisses very much."

Heero nodded and stood up more straight. "I did not enjoy them," he hissed back. "I loved them. And I love him."

Mr. Yuy just growled before tossing his hands to the side. "So this is what you're been keeping from me?! This… This disgusting, nasty-!" Growling again, Mr. Yuy turned his back to Heero. "How long did you think you could hide this from me?!"

Heero looked to his side, his hands clenched into fists. "I wasn't planning on hiding it from you. I was hoping that you would grow up enough to accept Duo for who he is. But because you're so damned narrow-minded, I never got the chance to tell you!"

"Don't take that tone with me," Mr. Yuy boomed again, trying to grasp Heero's shoulder again, but the teen was too quick, ducking when Mr. Yuy's hand came to close.

"Don't you touch me," he frowned and straightened back up. "And I'll take whatever tone I will with you!"

"Urusei (1)," Mr. Yuy yelled back before pointing a finger at Heero. "And I demand that you cut contact with that disgusting human being immediately! You were not like this before… That came into your life!"

"He opened my eyes," Heero yelled back, blue eyes fired up with anger. "He showed me that there are other things out there than being in my room day after day!! He's done me nothing but good!! In case you haven't noticed, my grades haven't dropped a notch!! If anything has changed around here, it's my mood!! I am happier than before, happier than I've ever been!! But this isn't about my grades, like you've claimed! This is about you and your control over me!! You can't stand it, can you?"

"Heero Yuy, I am warning you," Mr. Yuy started, his finger joining the others to form a fist.

"Shut up," Heero yelled back. "I've had it!! I've had enough!! All my life you've tried to control me, to form me after an image in your head so I could be the son you've always wanted!! But I've had it!! You cannot control me any longer; I want a life of my own!! I want to do the things others do!! I want my own life!!"

"I am doing what is best for you in order to secure your future," Mr. Yuy yelled back, his hand waving in the air. "I am doing what I do so you won't lack anything!"

"So why am I lacking the most important things in life," Heero yelled, eyes flaring. "All my life I've been lacking the one thing I've never had because of you! A friend! And Duo came to me with friendship in mind!! He wasn't trying to come on to me, he never did! I came onto him because I liked him!! He wasn't like the girls in my class; he wasn't annoying and just… Just… He was different!!"

"Heero, now you will shut up and do as I say!" Mr. Yuy yelled and took a step closer to his son.

"No! No more lies," Heero growled, eyes mere slits. "No more of this! No more of you telling me what to do! Now I'm going to live the life like I want it to be!"

Mr. Yuy growled, but Heero wasn't finished. "I'm going to be with MY friends without YOU telling me what to do! I'm going to be with MY boyfriend which also happens to be MY lover!!"

Mr. Yuy's eyes widened with that. "What… What did you say?!"

Heero couldn't help but smirk over his father's shocked expression. "That's right. Lover. We've been together in that bed," he said and pointed towards his bed. "In the most intimate way possible. I've had him good and naked there with my, and I quote you on this, cock buried in his ass. And I loved every second off it!"

"Urusei," Mr. Yuy yelled again, his face actually looking a little green. "I will not listen!"

"He was beautiful," Heero continued. "Just beautiful. I almost wished you'd come into the room a minute earlier, then you would have seen it."

"You didn't-," Mr. Yuy started and Heero nodded.

"We did. And we will do it again and again until-" Heero didn't get a chance to finish. Mr. Yuy's hand had lifted and had stopped further words thanks to a powerful slap to Heero's cheek, sending the teen stumbling backwards, clenching his reddening cheek.

"Urusei!" Mr. Yuy panted, hand still in the air from the slap.

Heero slowly turned his head; hand still on his cheek and eyes as cold as ice. "Fuck… You…" he stated before he marched past his father, only to have a hand grasping his shoulder hard.

"Heero Yuy, we're not finished!"

"We're so finished," Heero yelled before turning at lighting speed, his own fist raised before it connected with Mr. Yuy's jaw, sending the male tumbling to the floor because of the impact. "We're completely done here! Whatever you have to say, I won't listen to it," he barked before turning and running towards the stairs, his father lying on the floor, rubbing his throbbing jaw.

"Heero Yuy, get back here!!"

Heero didn't listen. He just ran down the stairs and into the hall, finding and tugging on his shoes before slamming the door open and running outside into the darkening neighborhood. He could hear his father yell something after him, but Heero didn't care. He just ran until he could no longer hear the voices and even then he didn't stop.

Heavy droplets of rain was coming down from the sky, soaking his clothing and making his hair cling to a sweaty forehead, but it didn't matter anymore. Heero just kept running until his lungs were burning and he couldn't keep it up. Panting, Heero doubled over to catch his breath before dumping down onto his butt, ignoring the fact that the ground was wet from the rain.

Leaning his back towards the brick-wall he'd stopped by, Heero closed his eyes, feeling something behind his lids that wanted to come forward. He didn't let it. Leaning his head against the wall, Heero opened his eyes again and just stared emptily into the air, the heavy drops of rain splashing onto his face.

What had he done? Thoughts of being disowned and evicted were running through his mind, and a sudden feeling of desperation was running through his system. Control had brutally been taken away from him as soon as his father's hand had made contact with his cheek and he couldn't stand it. One way or the other Heero had always had control over himself and now…

Tugging his knees up to his chest, Heero hugged them close to his chest before burying his face into them, feeling a great lump form in his throat. Somewhere in the distance a phone was ringing, and Heero halfway recognized it as his own phone. Letting a limp hand reach into his pocket, Heero fished the phone up and dead eyes stared at the screen. Said eyes got a more furious spark in them as soon as he saw who it was and with a swift movement from his thumb, Heero disconnected the call. He didn't care if it was his mother or father who called, he didn't want to talk to either off them, nor did he want to go home.

He was mad, mad at his father for not understanding; mad at his mother for not stepping in and helping him. But he was mostly mad at himself and for being such a coward.

Squeezing his eyes shut again, Heero once again buried his face into his knees, hugging his knees closely to his chest. "Duo…"

Looking up from his knees and he fixed them towards the sky, Heero could feel the rain hit his face. Thinking of his boyfriend soothed him. The memory of Duo's smile, laugher and warm arms…

Duo… The only one who really understood him…

Getting up from the ground, Heero started walking, not really knowing where he was going. He wanted to go to his lover, he wanted to feel Duo's arms around him, but he didn't want him to see him like this. Wrapping his own arms around himself to protect himself from the cold, Heero fixed his eyes back onto the ground.

Eventually he looked up from the ground to see where his feet had led him and he wasn't really surprised to see a familiar building in the distance. "Duo…"

Hesitating a little, Heero fished up his phone and punched in his lover's phone-number before once again sitting down onto the wet ground, but this time he was waiting.

After a few rings, a slightly panting voice was answering. "Yeah, hello?"

"Duo…"

The voice turned quiet, but Heero could hear panting. "Heero? Is that you?"

Heero nodded before replying in an almost dead voice. "Hai… It's me…"

The voice turned quiet again, but Heero could hear foot-steps in the background before a door was shut. "Heero? Babe, are you okay?"

"I need to see you…"

"Heero?"

Heero closed his eyes and swallowed heavily. "Please… I need to see you… Can I come?"

"Sure," the voice answered and Heero could hear that the tone was worried. "Sure, you can come here."

Heero nodded again, still keeping his eyes closed. "I'll be there soon," he mumbled, hanging up just as Duo seemed to speak up again. Staring at the screen, Heero almost expected his boyfriend to call him back, but he didn't.

Heero was grateful for that. He needed a few minutes to regain his composure. His cheek was still burning from the hit, the cold rain was making it sting a little, but Heero didn't care. He would soon be in warm and safe arms.

After at least ten minutes of just standing there, staring at the lights coming from the windows at the orphanage, Heero started moving. He felt as though he was soaked to the bone, his hair was clinging to his face, but once again, it simply didn't matter.

Opening the gate that lead to the play-area, Heero started walking towards the main door, taking what felt like small steps to him. But eventually he was standing in front of the door, hand lifted and ready to knock. He soon figured out that he'd been more than expected because as soon as his hand touched the door, it flew open, revealing a very worried Duo, dressed only in a pair of sweat-pants and a large t-shirt.

"Heero…"

Heero lowered his hand, giving Duo a look that probably was utterly pathetic. "Duo…"

Duo grasped Heero's hand and tugged him into the warm room. "God, you're completely soaked! How long have you been out? What's the matter?" The question came out like a flood, but Heero seemed unable to answer any of them at the moment.

Giving Heero another worried look, Duo started tugging his lover towards his room. "Come on. We'll get you out off those wet clothes and into some warm ones," he murmured while opening the door and just about pushed Heero inside.

Heero obeyed, but didn't make any moves to undress. Not before Duo basically commanded him to.

"Heero, get out of those clothes or you'll get sick," Duo said, rummaging through his closet in search of some of his bigger clothes.

Heero nodded and started tugging off the wet sweater while Duo placed the clothes onto his bed.

"Get dressed, Heero and I'll get you something warm to drink," he murmured before hurrying out of the room and towards the kitchen. "Helen," he called when entering the kitchen area, seeing the woman by the sink. "Can I make some coffee?"

Helen raised an eyebrow and put down a soapy plate. "Coffee now? Isn't that a little late, Duo?"

Duo shook his head. "It's not for me. It's for Heero."

"Heero's here," Helen asked and started looking for the Japanese teen. He was usually never far away from his lover.

Duo nodded and started looking for the coffee through the cabinets. "He's in my room. I think he's upset about something; he looks like he's in shock. He was completely drenched so I've told him to change while I get him something to drink to get him warm."

Helen nodded and got a worried look over her face. "Should I prepare one of the available rooms for him?"

Duo shook his head while starting the coffee maker, then just waited for it to start making coffee. "I think he needs to be with me tonight… I dunno what's wrong, but I have a hunch… And I wanna be there for him tonight… I don't think he should be alone…"

Helen nodded again and watched as the teen poured some coffee into a mug as soon as the brown liquid was done. "Be patient with him," she murmured as Duo started walking out of the kitchen area, and got a quick nod in return.

In the mean while, Heero had stripped out of his wet clothes and was now sitting on Duo's bed, looking at the floor with a somewhat dead look. The shirt and sweatpants Duo had handed him were a little on the small side for him, but that was okay. At least he was dry again, even though his hair was still wet.

Looking up as he heard the door open, Heero watched as Duo came in with a steaming mug. He smelled coffee so Heero assumed the mug was filled with that. "You didn't have to," he replied in a slightly raspy voice, the first proper thing he'd said since he came.

"I know," Duo murmured and placed the mug onto his nightstand. Sitting down next to his boyfriend, Duo carefully moved a hand up to Heero's cheek and cupped it. "Look at you," he murmured, a sad expression coming over his features.

Heero looked back at Duo before his eyes closed and his head tilted against the hand, a small sigh escaping from between his lips.

"What happened," Duo asked, placing his other hand on Heero's other cheek. "Please tell me…"

Heero opened his eyes halfway before sighing. "Otasan… He knows now…"

Duo blinked before tilting his head against Heero's forehead. "Oh… I take it… It didn't go so well?"

Heero shook his head, but didn't say anything further.

Frowning a little, Duo removed his hands and took a really good look at his lover. It was then he noticed the faint, red color over his cheek. "He hit you…"

Opening his eyes completely, Heero opened his mouth, but was unable to say anything.

Duo just snarled while getting up from the bed. "That son of a bitch! He had no right to hit you! I can't believe he actually did it!"

"Duo," Heero started and reached out his hand to grab his boyfriend.

"What kind of father raises his hand against his only son, just because he's gay?! I'm so gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Duo continued as he started pacing the room. "He had no right, he can't blame you for being who you are!"

"Duo," Heero yelled and grasped his lover's arm, yanking him down onto the bed and straddling his stomach. "Stop it!"

Duo blinked and just stared up at Heero's face. "Heero?"

"Just forget it," Heero mumbled and lowered his face so his bangs covered it. "Please… It doesn't matter… Just forget it…"

"Doesn't matter?" Duo replied and frowned. Grasping Heero's cheeks, Duo lifted his head so he could see him face. "Of course it does matter, Heero… He didn't have the right to hit you just because you came out…"

"He saw us outside…" Heero muttered and sighed. "He saw us kiss and confronted me at my room… I said many things and-"

"And he probably deserved it," Duo bit out before tugging Heero down for a hug. "He had no right to decide your life the way he has…"

"I guess not," Heero mumbled and just hugged himself to Duo, shifting so he wasn't squashing his lithe lover.

"Hey," Duo murmured and gently cupped Heero's cheek. "I'm proud of you, Hee-man…" he added and let his lips tug into a soft smile. "I really am… I know this couldn't have been easy for you…"

Heero didn't say anything. He just hugged himself close to Duo, seeking the warmth and security of his boyfriend.

Bringing a hand up to Heero's head, Duo let his fingers run through his hair, trying his best to provide some comfort.

It didn't really take long before the grasp around the braided teen loosened and Heero was asleep. Duo remained where he was, just gently stroking Heero's head. "I'm so sorry, lover," he murmured quietly, feeling horrible over the fact that everything had come to this. He felt responsible for this and he had already decided that he wanted a face-to-face discussion with Heero's father.

Shifting a little as he heard a cell-phone ring, Duo carefully moved away from Heero and placed his legs onto the floor. He could see Heero's eyebrows furrow as the ringing continued and he could see his lover's hand move over the bed as Duo carefully moved away.

"I'll be right back," Duo murmured before rummaging through Heero's pants and found the source of the noise. Picking the phone up, Duo carefully walked into the hall before answering. "Hello?"

"Heero, where are you," a distressed female voice called out, sniffling loudly.

"This isn't Heero, this is his secretary," Duo replied while leaning against the wall.

"Duo? Duo, is that you?"

"In the flesh," he replied, wondering just how much he was going to say about Heero's condition or if he was just going to hang up right away.

"Is Heero with you?"

Duo nodded automatically. "Yup. He's here with me, alright."

"Oh, thank god! How is he? Will he be coming home tonight?"

"He's fine, Mrs. Yuy," Duo replied before adding. "But I doubt he'll be coming home tonight. I don't think he'll come home tomorrow either. But don't worry, I've changed him, fed him, burped him and put him to sleep."

"Nani?"

"Sorry," Duo replied before sighing. "He came here completely drenched so I gave him some clothes. He was cold so I tried giving him some coffee, but he fell asleep before he could drink anything. But he's fine, he's warm and I think he needs this nap. I'll be there once he wakes up so he won't be lonely and… I don't think you should try and call him. Let him call you once he's ready."

"I understand," Mrs. Yuy sniffed. "Please say that I am so sorry… I should have interfered earlier, but it was already to late…"

"Don't think about it now," Duo replied and ran a hand through his hair. "You should sit down all three of you and have a talk about it once both Heero and his father have calmed down."

"Hai," Mrs. Yuy replied. "I understand… Please take care of my son…"

Duo nodded. "I will, ma'am… I give you my word…" Then he ended the call before Mrs. Yuy could say something further. It wasn't for him anyway, so Duo felt no need to hear it. Besides, he already knew what his duties were right now.

Silently slipping back into the room, Duo switched Heero's phone to 'silent' before placing it next to his own phone on the desk. Seeing as Heero was still asleep, his legs curled up and arms wrapped around his own body.

Walking over to the bed, Duo bent over to place a kiss onto the teen's forehead before lying down next to his lover, careful so he wasn't waking him up.

Almost as if sensing that Duo came into bed, Heero's brows relaxed and the male let out a soft sigh. Duo let his lips tug into a small smile, but it quickly vanished. "I'll help you, baby," he murmured and reached out a hand to gently stroke Heero's cheek. "You're safe with me… I love you… I'm proud of you…"

Duo continued to whisper soothing words for a while until he too was starting to get sleepy. Letting out a loud yawn, Duo carefully placed his hand over Heero's before closing his eyes. "I'll be here all night," he murmured to his lover before he fell into an easy slumber.

A few hours later Duo woke up from a questioning hand underneath his shirt. Blinking his eyes, Duo sat up a little before grumbling. "'Ro? What're ya doing?"

He got no answer, just a rough hand pushing him back down onto the bed while the hand under his shirt started lifting the garment up. Waking up more, Duo started pushing back against his assaulter. "What the fuck?! Get off me!"

"I need you…" Heero's voice whispered.

"What?!" Duo barked before his mouth was covered by a rough one, a question tongue immediately slipping past his lips. Squirming and pushing against the body that now covered his own, Duo had to resist kneeing his lover where it hurt the most. Instead he managed to gather up enough strength to push Heero's head away. "Heero, snap out of it! This isn't like you!"

Heero froze before he retreated (,) all his limbs before practically scrambling away from his lover. "Oh, god… What am I doing?"

Sitting up, Duo pulled his shirt down before looking at Heero on the bed. "Heero…"

Heero just looked at him with frightened eyes before he covered his face with his hands. His whole form was shaking. "Oh, god… What am I thinking?"

"You weren't," Duo replied before carefully moving over to his boyfriend.

"I almost violated you," Heero cried out and moved backwards, only to have Duo's arms wrap around his shoulders.

"But you didn't… You stopped…" the braided teen murmured, placing a hand on Heero's head. "Listen… You're tired and you're still in shock… I'm not saying that what you did was right and if you hadn't stopped, I probably would have kicked you out of my room… But you stopped… That's what matters…"

Heero just blinked before wrapping his own arms tightly around his boyfriend's waist. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to… You're the most important person to me… The only one who understands me…"

"That's not true… You have your friends… Your mom…" Duo replied and gently stroked Heero's hair. "You have many people that love you…"

"I lost control," Heero replied and just stared at the wall. "My father… He ripped away all of my control when he punched me… I was so desperate to get it back… I am so sorry, Duo… So sorry…"

"Sssssh," Duo soothed and gently started rocking the slightly trembling teen in his arms. "It's okay… Don't think about it… We'll deal with it once you've calmed down…"

Heero nodded before burying his face into Duo's neck. "Thank you…" he murmured while squeezing his eyes shut. "Thank you…"

"Don't think about it," Duo repeated while looking ahead of himself. "We'll deal with this… We'll deal with this…"

Heero nodded again and carefully lowered them both onto the narrow bed.

Duo continued to hold his lover, even as the shaky breath against his neck turned more even and the body in his arms relaxed. Stroking a hand over Heero's hair, Duo placed a kiss against a slightly warm forehead before murmuring. "We'll do this together…"

xoxoxoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: (1) Shut up!_

_Well, what did you think? Shocked over Heero's actions? Surprised over anything?_

_Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- _


	41. A New Day

**New Hope Home**

-ducks from flying fruit- Come on! It was necessary! But I promise you that everything's going to be okay! Just… Not yet… -runs off again-

xoxoxoxox

"A New Day:"

When Duo woke up the next morning, Heero was already gone from the bed. Sitting up, Duo used the back of his hand to rub his eyes before looking around in the room. Heero's clothes where still on the floor, as was the phone, so Duo figured that wherever Heero was, he wasn't very far off.

Getting up from the bed, Duo slipped out of his night outfit and put on a new pair of jeans as well as some fresh socks before walking out into the hall. The clock was almost eleven so Duo figured most of the kids were up by now.

Scratching a little on his shoulder, Duo walked into the living-room before looking after the familiar mop of hair.

"If you're looking for Heero, he's in the kitchen."

Looking to his side, Duo watched as Helen was trying to get some of the kids to dress so they could go out and play. "He been there long?"

Helen nodded while tugging a pair of gloves on a small girls hands. "Yup, about an hour or so. Hasn't said a word, just went straight to the coffee-machine where he proceeded to make himself a cup before sitting down by the table. He had yet to touch the cup when I left the room."

Duo nodded and walked into the kitchen to check on his lover. When he found him, Duo wasn't all that surprised over the way he looked. Despite having slept most of the night, Heero looked completely drained and he had a guilty look in his eyes.

"Hey," Duo murmured softly and sat down next to his lover. "How are you, babe?"

Heero turned his head and looked at Duo with sad eyes. "How… How can you even talk to me?" he asked, his voice as tired as his appearance.

"I can do it quite easily, since I love you and all," Duo murmured and placed a kiss on Heero's cheek. "But we need to talk a little bit, yes. About last night."

"What's there to say," Heero mumbled and looked down at his still untouched coffee. "I was a jerk, a perv and a horrible boyfriend last night."

"No," Duo said and carefully placed a hand over Heero's. "You were lost, confused and desperate last night. You needed some human contact and I just happened to be the… I dunno, easiest, best, first choice? Take your pick, you know better than me."

"All of the above, I guess," Heero murmured and shrugged. "I called you because… You were the first thing on my mind that felt… Safe…"

Duo smiled tenderly at that and squeezed the hand. "Well, in that case, I feel honored…"

Heero offered a small smile at that before leaning closer to his lover. "I am so sorry, Duo… I love you so much, I can never hurt you," he murmured while kissing all over Duo's cheek, jaw and neck, basically everywhere he could reach. "I am so sorry, forgive me…"

"You're already forgiven," Duo murmured and hugged Heero close to him. "It's okay, don't think about it… It's okay…"

Heero just nodded at that before excusing himself. He needed a shower. Duo just nodded at that and released his boyfriend before having some breakfast himself. He doubted Heero had eaten anything, but that was normal. He would force the male to eat an extra large lunch instead.

By the time Heero was done, Duo had been given a chore from Helen; to go shopping for the evening meal later that day. By then, Heero had found himself a book to read and sat down on Duo's bed. Duo, seeing his lover otherwise occupied, allowed toe messy-haired boy to read and went to see Helen.

After accepting the list from Helen, Duo went back to his room to notify his lover about where he was going, but he went to grab his jacket first. With that done, he went to Heero.

"I'm just gonna step out for a sec, Heero," Duo called out while zipping up his jacket.

Heero looked up from the book he'd been reading. "Where are you going?"

Duo smiled and leaned over to place a kiss on Heero's cheek. "Just got some stuff to do here. Yanno what it's like."

"Not really," Heero replied dryly. "Only-child, remember."

Duo nodded while slipping on his boots. "Got ya. Sorry," he murmured, knowing that Heero was like a bomb waiting to go off. All he had to do was to make sure that the bomb went of at Mr. Yuy, like it should. But for now…

"I'll be right back, okay? Anything you want from the store or anything?" Duo asked while leaning against the door.

Heero shook his head and leaned back against the bed again. "No, thank you…" he murmured before licking his thumb to flip the page. Duo chuckled when he saw it.

"Okay. I'll be back soon," he chirped before hurrying outside.

He would do as he was told, but first he had another little mission he would like to deal with before he was satisfied with the day. He just hoped he would be able to get a chance to do it…

Walking towards the Yuy household with firm steps, Duo started formulating a speech in his head, just hoping he would get a chance to talk to the man. He had a few things on his heart that he needed to air out.

It wasn't long before the braided teen reached his destination. Ringing the doorbell to the Yuy household, Duo waited for someone to open. Both the cars were outside so he knew they were home.

Hearing footsteps on the other side, Duo braised himself for what would most likely be a tough ride.

"What the hell are YOU doing here," a cold voice growled and Duo could feel that the hairs at the back of his neck were rising.

Taking a deep breath, Duo let his own blue eyes lock with angry brown before murmuring in a calm voice. "I would like for you and me to have a talk. Man to man."

"I have nothing to say to a filthy faggot like yourself," Mr. Yuy growled and moved to close the door, only to see Duo's hand shoot out and grasp the door's edge.

"Listen," Duo started and glared at the man on the other side. "Lets have a face to face conversation, I don't give a fuck if it's man to faggot, or rat to faggot!" He spat before jerking the door open. "All I know is that YOUR son came to ME last night, broken down, but refusing to do anything about it! Despite the fact that you just about disowned him, that you crushed him, he still was loyal to you! Oh, he wants to break free, wants to live his own life, but he can't!"

Taking a deep breath, Duo kept staring at his lover's father with a harsh look, waiting for him to say something.

Mr. Yuy actually looked a little taken aback before he regained his composure. "Well, none of this mess would have happened if you had stayed out of it!"

"Oh, bite me," Duo barked, then almost chuckled because of the look on Mr. Yuy's face. "Don't worry, you don't have to touch me," he added dryly before continuing. "And as for this mess… I approached your son with nothing but friendship in mind when he first got here. He came to me, suggesting that he wanted to start a relationship… He was confused, slightly scared… I wanted to help."

Gesturing to himself, Duo let his eyes soften a little. "Look at me… I know I look… Odd, I suppose… But I can assure you that my heart is on the right place… I'm not teaching your son to put on make-up or to better give a blow-job… What we do together are guy's things… We hang out… We play basketball, we work out, we play in a band…"

Pointing at the direction of the orphanage, Duo continued. "Last night… Your son came to me as a broken man, seeing me as the only salvation that he had left… The only haven he had left… And I took him in… I gave him warm clothes, a bed for the night, even almost let him assault me because he was so out of control because of you… And yet here I am… Out of my own free will… Heero doesn't know I am here and if it is up to me, he won't get to know either… But I came here to try and settle things… To try and explain things, put some ground underneath your feet so you two maybe… Just maybe can sit down and settle things with each other…"

Taking a step away from the shocked man standing in the door, Duo sighed a little. "Heero is still your son… He hasn't changed a bit after dating me, except that he's smiling more than before… He still hates to dance and sing and he won't even go near a shopping-mall when Hilde needs a man's opinion on clothes… Doesn't talk with a lisp and his anal virginity is still intact… He's still as much man as before except that he happens to like guys better than girls… And quite honestly, Mr. Yuy… It's people like you that break the gay population down and give us a bad name."

Looking away, Duo pocketed his hands and turned his back to the man. "Your wife knew and she accepted it. Why can you be as graceful and do the same? It is not too late."

Hearing nothing but silence behind him, Duo knew that while he hadn't exactly lost the battle, the message he had tried to send hadn't properly penetrated the man's skull.

"Sorry for wasting your time. I'll go home and tend to my crushed lover," he mumbled in a slightly bitter tone because of the lack of response, and started walking.

"Wait!"

Looking up, Duo turned around again and saw Mr. Yuy come towards him. "What?"

Sighing a little, Mr. Yuy brought up a hand to the back of his neck and started rubbing. "Maxwell… I…" Sighing again, the older man gestured towards the house. "Please… Come inside and let's have a proper talk… Man to man…"

Letting his lips tug into a small smile, Duo nodded. "Much appreciated."

xoxoxoxoxox

Sighing a little as he stepped out of the house, Duo ran a hand through his bangs before starting the walk home.

While it could have gone slightly better, at least he had managed to resist the urge to shout at the man, Duo felt that Mr. Yuy maybe understood a little better now. The man was at least willing to sit down and have a talk with his son, whenever Heero was ready to do that, and that was good. This would never be solved unless father and son could sit down and talk about this in a calm way, which Duo doubted would happen anytime soon, despite Mr. Yuy's… Willingness to talk to his son. After all, he and Mr. Yuy had barely been able to talk in a civilized way themselves.

Shaking his head, Duo let out a small sigh before starting to walk towards the nearest store. He'd been gone for a while now and Helen was probably starting to get worried.

Meanwhile Heero had finally emerged from the bedroom again in the search for something better to read or do. After all, he was staying at an orphanage and he felt bad about taking advantages of the place. So he felt he needed to do something in return for the meals and the hot water he'd used when he showered.

Father Maxwell understood Heero's situation and desire to help, so he set him to sort through some movies he had in his office while he sorted through some applications on his desk.

"What are all these," Heero asked while looking at the titles on the movies before checking them with the names on a list.

"Ah, that is our observation collection," Father Maxwell answered and smiled. "You see… When adults come here with the desire to adopt, some of the children become shy and behave in a different way than they would during normal situations. Some of the children also have problems like ADD and it is easier for the parents to see their behavior than to have us explain it."

Heero nodded at that, it sounded sensible at least. Then he remembered what Duo had told him a while ago. "Duo did mention that as well when we got to know each other," he murmured. "He… Duo also mentioned something about a movie… That he was taped during his suicide attempt… I found it weird at the time that someone could tape someone as they were dying."

"Oh, Duo was very far from dying, he didn't cut deep enough, which we all were glad for," Father Maxwell murmured and looked up from his papers. "But it was very scary for him because of all the blood. But we felt we needed to tape it as it was a part of his depression and behavior at that time. Of course, not very many people were willing to get to know him after seeing such a seen and they forgot to see the way he behaved later."

Heero nodded while removing a movie from the pile and crossed out the name on it. The child had been adopted away so the movie could be disposed of. "He said something about having a new lust for life after that accident."

"Did he ever," Father Maxwell chuckled before coughing a little. Rubbing his throat a little, the elder man offered an apologetic smile before continuing. "Duo… Changed after that event… He realized that he was not alone and that people cared for him. But the damage was already done for him, he was not the desired age anymore… But he never gave up hope that maybe one day he would get into a new home… But he knows reality now…" Father Maxwell sighed with that and shook his head before giving Heero a small glance.

"That is why we are so glad you are here…" he murmured and smiled. "You have given him something very valuable and he treasures it…"

Heero stopped his movements at that and just looked at the shelves with the videos. "He has… given me something too…" he murmured softly, his features softening ever so slightly by the thought.

Father Maxwell chuckled and smiled at that. "I am glad," he murmured and nodded.

"Forgive me if I am rude," Heero said and put down the video he'd been holding. "But Duo mentioned that you were once a man of God… And according to the church, what Duo and I are doing is a so-called sin…" Trailing off, Heero could feel his cheeks heat up a little, feeling a little embarrassed over asking such a question to a priest.

Father Maxwell laughed at that before getting up from his seat. "I stopped being a priest many years ago in order to work with children, but I never stopped being a man of God. But I believe that the church is wrong on that aspect. I feel that as long as two people love each other, it is a good, good thing, despite if they are either males or females. Love is pure no matter what the package is," he murmured and smiled.

"Duo knows my views and he is very glad that he is accepted for who he is," he continued. "And while he is not a catholic nor really believes in God, he believes in a higher power and has a… Sort of fear you might say for it. But he would continue his way, no matter what God or I say about it, but I am glad I am able to support him."

Heero nodded and offered a smile of his own. "I know he appreciates it," he murmured and started working again. "And I know he thinks very highly of you…"

Father Maxwell just smiled at that before sitting down to continue his work. "I am glad to hear that," he murmured before reaching out behind him and pulled out what looked like an album from the shelves. "Here," he murmured and handed it to Heero. "Have a look through this…"

Heero raised an eyebrow, but accepted the album none the less. "What about the movies?"

Father Maxwell just waved his hand at that and smiled. "You can do it later or something, seeing as you wished to stay the week-end. I know Duo has his hands full with chores at times, so it'll be nice for you to have something to do."

Heero nodded. "Thank you, Father," he murmured and got up, album under his arm. Walking to the area where parents was interviewed by Helen or Father Maxwell, Heero found himself a chair and sat down with the album in his lap. Opening it, Heero looked at the picture decorating the first page.

It was of a beautiful woman with long chestnut hair and a lovely smile. She wasn't very tall, but she looked like the small body had great strength to it. Next to her was a tall man with dark-brown hair and beard and warm, blue eyes. He looked a little on the skinny side, but Heero figured it was the height that did it.

And in their arms was a small boy with a mop of chestnut hair and sparkling blue eyes, grinning like a mad-man and looked like he was waving to the camera.

"Duo's family," Heero murmured while seeing the names at the bottom of the page.

"_To Nora and Adam_

_And Duo Maxwell_

_Good luck with your life, little one_

_Keep filling this album with good memories_

_Your Godmother,_

_Sarah Parker"_

Underneath the name was the number 1965-1987 written. "He had a godmother," Heero murmured while looking at the small picture next to the text. It appeared that Duo's godmother had made this album to Duo; it was probably a gift to him when he was baptized or something. Heero wondered if Duo knew about her or not, and if he would have lived with her when his parents died, but the numbers underneath the text indicated that she had passed away. Heero briefly wondered why, she had apparently died at a young age.

Flipping the page, Heero let out a small chuckle as he watched what looked to be Duo's birth, at least the moments after it. The first four pages were mostly baby-pictures, showing everything from Duo's baptism to his first tooth. There were Christmas pictures, what looked like pictures from his birthday-party and just in general pictures of a small boy growing up.

And he was smiling in each and every one of the pictures.

Flipping the page again, Heero hit an empty page and frowned. Was the album over already? Flipping the black page over, Heero found a newspaper-clipping, showing the wreck of a car and a small boy at the hospital.

"My god," he murmured while reading over the text in the article, wondering if Duo had read it. Duo had mentioned that he had tossed out an album when he first got here. Heero figured that either Father Maxwell or Helen had taken over the task of filling Duo's album with pictures.

Flipping over the next three pages, Heero found that all the pictures of Duo were now of a very angry boy. There was no smile on his face, there was no spark in the blue eyes. The hair was a mess, it looked like it had never been brushed and in almost every picture, Duo made some sort of rude gesture. On the top of each and every page was the words "The Dark Ages" written in golden letters.

Flipping further into the album, Heero found one solitary picture in the middle of the page.

It was of Duo, lying in a hospital bed. His wrists were bandaged and he looked page, but there was also something wistful over the boy's features. Like he'd gotten some new information and was in the middle of processing it.

Brushing his finger over the picture, Heero swallowed a small lump that had gathered in his throat before moving on.

The next pictures were very different from the ones in the "Dark Ages" section of the album. These showed once again a smiling boy, playing nicely with other kids, drawing, reading and just being a kid. It showed Duo's first proper day at school, another one showed him holding up a blue bond for a drawing he'd made, another one showing him singing in what looked like the church choir. Heero chuckled as he read the text "Didn't even last a year, you were too hard-headed to sing for God" underneath the picture.

Heero continued to look at the many different pictured in the album until he came to the last two pages. There were only three pictures there so far and Heero couldn't help but feel warm on the inside when seeing them.

The first picture was of the five of them, all dressed up in their skiing equipment and smiling to the camera. Heero recognized it as they day before they actually left, when everybody agreed to test their equipment before they left. Underneath was the text "The Fallen Angels" written.

The second was of Heero and Duo with kids, playing around on the small playground at the back of the orphanage. There was no text there, but it showed them both smiling. Duo was draped halfway over Heero's back while two kids were attached to Heero's leg.

The third picture was of Heero and Duo alone, standing by the gate to the orphanage. It looked like they were bidding each other good night, so Heero figured it had been taken sometime after the new year. They were holding each other's hands and their faces were close, like they were about to kiss. Underneath was the text "The Lovers" written, making Heero blush.

Closing the album, Heero stroked over the back of it while sighing.

Duo had experienced so much hardship in his life and here he was breaking down because his father was a jackass.

Deciding that he was done running away from his problems, Heero got onto his feet and walked to deliver the album back to Father Maxwell. Passing Duo in the hallway just as the braided male came walking through the door and putting the bags with groceries down onto the floor, Heero took a grip around Duo's waist, dipped him down and gave him a hard kiss.

"No more," he replied when they pulled back for air and helped Duo stand again, then walked off to deliver said album.

Duo just blinked at that and let out a very clever "huh?" as he watched his boyfriend disappear into the office.

xoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes:_

_Oh, yeah, things are gonna heat up now!_

_Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- _


	42. Confrontation

New Hope Home

Well, time to wrap up a few loose ends and the likes now. I really liked writing this chapter and I hope you'll enjoy reading it as well.

xoxoxoxox

"Confrontation:"

"You sure you're ready for this," Duo asked while looking up at the Yuy household. Suddenly the building seemed so big and threatening.

Heero nodded, a firm look on his face. "Yes," he replied and squeezed the hand he was holding. "If I don't do it now, I'll never be able to do it. I am sick and tired of running away. It's either acceptance or not, that's the worst thing he can do and his words won't change what I feel for you."

Duo nodded and squeezed the hand in return.

They had spent most of the Saturday going over what Heero was going to say before calling Heero's parents in the evening to agree on a time where they could sit down and talk. Duo and Heero's mother would act mostly as support, but Duo knew he would speak up if Heero's father went over the line.

"Heero," Duo started and looked at his lover. "You… do know that things aren't going to get solved right away? These things take time."

Heero nodded again and looked at Duo. "I know. But it's about time I'm speaking what's on my mind and in my heart instead of letting him boss me around."

Duo smiled at that and leaned in to give his boyfriend a loving and supporting kiss. "That's the spirit, Heero! Today's the day for you to speak up!"

Heero chuckled at that before squeezing Duo's hand. "Duo… do… do you think my father will… disown me?"

Duo looked at Heero for a second before squeezing the hand reassuringly back. "No… No, I don't think so… His actions, as unfair as they have been, have been done out of love and caring. He wants you to grow up and live a complete and comfortable life, but what he doesn't understand is that you can live a full life and raise a family when gay. Just talk to him, tell him how you feel and leave him with some time to digest the facts and I am sure his eyes will open up."

"How can you be so sure," Heero asked while looking up at his house.

Duo smiled and kissed Heero's cheek. "Because I know a loving parent when I see one. He just doesn't understand and that's why we're here. To try and make him understand."

"Thank you for coming with me," Heero murmured and kissed Duo back tenderly.

"Hey," Duo chuckled and grinned. "That's what friends are for."

Heero just shook his head before walking towards the house, hand in hand with his lover. His hand was in his pocket, ready to fish up his keys if the door was locked, but when Duo twisted the handle, it slid up without effort.

"This is it," Duo murmured and gave Heero one last reassuring kiss before they stepped in, still holding each other's hands tightly. Together they removed their shoes and they only released each other to remove their jackets. They quickly found each other again though before walking into the living room.

Mr. and Mrs. Yuy was already seated there on the couch. Mr. Yuy looked indifferent, yet couldn't help but glare ever so slightly as the two boys came and in hand in hand, crossing his arms over his chest. Mrs. Yuy looked more tired, but still tried to give her son a reassuring smile.

"You're home," Mr. Yuy said, his voice passive.

"Hai," Heero replied in the same tone and sat down on the opposite couch of his parents, dragging Duo down with him.

Silence filled the room, Heero and Mr. Yuy seemed to be making attempts to stare each other down while Duo and Mrs. Yuy looked at them.

"Okay, you called so we could talk. Let's talk," Mr. Yuy said after a while, shifting a little in his seat and crossed his legs, almost as if challenging the two boys.

Duo could already tell that this was going to be rougher than the battle he'd had with the man.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

"My fault?! It's not my fault, I was born this way!"

"Oh, don't be a fool, Heero, that is just ridiculous-!"

"And you call yourself a doctor, you should know this! It's in the genes; science has proved that ages ago! Hell, I saw it on discovery not that long ago!"

"And that is your excuse?! As a proper man, you should be able to do what is expected of you instead of fooling around!"

Duo groaned and just covered his face with his hands. This was the third yelling frenzy in two hours and he was starting to get a headache. The conversation had started nicely, Heero started to tell his reasons, but everything seemed to go downhill from there.

Heero's father had started insulting Duo, very subtly and with obviously carefully chosen words, something that made Heero explode and start defending his boyfriend, which in turn made Heero's father explode and they were back at square one.

This was going to be a long day.

"Don't you dare blame this on me! If it wasn't for your misbehavior, we wouldn't be here now!"

"Misbehavior?! I'm just doing what feels natural to me!"

"Natural?! You call lying with a man natural?!"

"Oh, bite me!"

"Heero, don't take that tone with me!"

"I'll quit when you stop yelling!"

"I'm not yelling, you are!"

"I am yelling because if I didn't, you wouldn't hear me over your own fucking voice!"

"Urusai1!!"

"Mukou ike, chipitama2!!"

"Heero!"

By then Heero's mother was turning pale and Duo wondered just what Heero and his father were saying. So far he'd only recognized the word "urusai," which he knew meant "shut up." What Heero had said on the other hand, he didn't know, but according to the Japanese teens parents… Well, it couldn't have been good.

By now the two men were basically screaming to each other's face in Japanese and it was then Duo decided that they were getting nowhere and fast at that. Letting out a small groan, Duo got up and yelled over the two arguing men. "HEY!! QUIT IT BOTH OF YOU!! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!"

Both Mr. Yuy and Heero stopped and looked at Duo with wide eyes. Duo just huffed and placed his hands on his hips. "This is supposed to be a conversation, but right now I don't know who's the most childish one of you!"

"But he refuses to listen," Heero started while Mr. Yuy pointed at Heero, saying "But his arguments are completely ridiculous," at the same time.

"I don't care," Duo yelled and glared at them both. "As long as you two continue to do this, we'll never come to a solution so park your damn asses back down onto the couch!!" Sighing a little, Duo rubbed his forehead as Heero and Mr. Yuy obediently sat back down at their spots. "Okay… Seeing as I am the one who knows the most on this subject, I think I should lead this whole… Conversation." Pointing at Heero, Duo added. "Okay, you start first with telling why you think you are in the right and-"

"Why does he get to start first?" Mr. Yuy interrupted.

"Because," Duo started and glared at Mr. Yuy. "He needs to get a chance to tell what's on his mind without having YOU disturbing him! It will also give you a chance to digest his words and think about them!" Looking at the family, Duo added quickly. "This is not a trial and nobody should feel the need to defend themselves. You are a family for crying out loud! Act that way!"

Everybody seemed to hang his or her head in shame at that. "Gomen," Heero murmured and looked over at his lover. "You're right. We'll never be able to come to a solution at this rate, not if we keep yelling at each other and refuse to listen."

Duo smiled at that and nodded. "That's a good boy," he murmured and took Heero's hand in his before squeezing it.

Mrs. Yuy just looked at her husband. "See? Your son is acting more mature than you are."

Mr. Yuy just glared at her. "Mishka, don't meddle in this."

"Why shouldn't I," she asked and crossed her arms. "He is my son, just as much as he is yours. I carried him for nine months while you worked!"

Mr. Yuy groaned and rolled his eyes. "Please, don't use that as an excuse."

Before Mrs. Yuy could open her mouth, both Heero and Duo cleared their throats. "Could we focus on the reason why we're here?" Duo suggested and crossed his arms over his chest. Heero just nodded and leaned back against the couch.

Mr. and Mrs. Yuy nodded and sat up more properly. Duo rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Listen… This won't get us anywhere unless all of us are willing to listen to what the other has to say. We have wasted over two hours already and while I know you can't just accept what's going on, at least you owe your son this…"

Mr. Yuy chewed on his lip before nodding. "Okay. I'll try my best to be… Open about this."

Heero nodded and offered a small, barely noticeable smile. "Thank you."

Duo smiled at this. Maybe things could work out after all? "Okay, let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

Heero nodded and took a deep breath. "Otasan… I… I honestly never… believed this would happen. And I am not doing this to defy you and your beliefs. And while I am grateful that you show so much care in my life, wanting me to earn a good living, raise a family and in general, be happy. But I need to fly on my own, I need to learn certain things on my own. Through trial and error. And I think this is the biggest trial I've ever faced." Sighing a little, Heero licked his lips.

"Knowing your views on homosexuals and the thorn between wanting to please you and wanting to follow my own heart… It's been rough. But in the end, I must do what I want. You have raised me to be strong and independent… Well, I guess this is an attempt to show you the fruits of your labors. I have grown strong and that is why I've found the courage to stand up against you today." Giving Duo a small smile, Heero leaned forward and gently nuzzled his nose to Duo's cheek. "That and thanks to Duo's support. He's been so very patient with me, he's taken a lot of shit and yet he's still here…"

Glancing over to his father, Heero added. "And it's true what Duo said. I came to him, wanting to explore a possible relationship with him. I was physically attracted to him and over the time we got to know each other, I also got attracted to him at a mental stage as well. We understand each other, we're able to talk about anything, and we have fun together."

Squeezing Duo's hand, Heero brought it up to his lips, gently pressing his lips to the male's knuckles. "Otasan… I love him…"

Heero's father didn't say anything with that confession. He simply folded his hands together before resting his jaw against them, closing his eyes and seemingly in thought.

Duo swallowed a little, they could not afford yet another shutdown or explosion. "Mr. Yuy?"

"I am… Sorry…"

Both Heero and Duo blinked. "… Eh?"

Mr. Yuy sighed, but didn't break his position, his eyes remained closed and his hands folded up with his jaw resting against them. "I am sorry… I… I was so busy thinking about your future that I forgot that you are alive right now."

Heero lowered Duo's hand from his lips. "Otasan?"

"Heero, I…" Sighing heavily, Mr. Yuy shook his head before lowering his hands, leaving them folded up on his lap instead. "I don't approve of what you do. I find homosexuality wrong and it disgusts me. Yes, I know that… I am a doctor and am supposed to accept these things, but…"

Mrs. Yuy gave her husband a soft look. "Hisoka… Maybe it is time for you to tell your son why."

Mr. Yuy nodded and inhaled heavily through his nose. "I suppose…" Opening his eyes, Mr. Yuy let his jet-black eyes meet the deep blue eyes of his son. "Heero… When I was your age… I was assaulted by homosexuals in college."

Heero gasped. "Otasan?"

Mr. Yuy lifted his hand to silence his son. Questions could wait. "I was alone in the gym, working out when three known homosexuals came into the hall. They started flirting with me and coming with inappropriate suggestions, but I paid them no mind at the time. They were known all over the school for their… Loose lifestyle."

Duo nodded with that. Pieces were suddenly starting to fit together. The accusations from Heero's dad, the reactions, the behavior…

"They had never really… Attacked anyone, but I suppose I was a little too rough in my speech to them. I did not insult what they were, but I did insult them and I suppose that was enough…" Mr. Yuy swallowed heavily before closing his eyes. He didn't want to continue, coming out with this to his son was just to embarrassing, too… Weak. What sort of man was he?

Duo looked at Mr. Yuy, understanding written over his face. "Were you..? You know?"

Mrs. Yuy squeezed his hand tenderly and shook her head on behalf of her husband. "No… They never got that far because someone came in. But the humiliation stuck to mind, I guess…"

Heero looked shocked. "Otasan…"

Duo squeezed Heero's hand. "I understand your reaction, sir… But it is unfair of you to put every gay guy under the same knife. I mean, straight men do the same to women far more often than a homosexual does it to a man." Mr. Yuy opened his mouth to speak, but Duo lifted a hand to silence him. "But… Then again… Neither a straight man nor a female has ever assaulted you, have they? So you have no reason to dislike them."

Smiling to Heero, Duo leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before murmuring. "But I can assure you, sir… Me and Heero, we didn't assault each other. We worked very slowly to reach this stage. We are where we are out of love and want, not by lust and assault."

Heero nodded and continued where Duo left it. "We are not loose, Duo's the only one I've ever been with and I'm Duo's third boyfriend, but first proper lover. We don't dress in drag in our spare time, I still hate everything that has to do with fashion and shopping and I most certainly am not letting anyone step over me."

Duo snickered with that. "Oh, tell him how you kicked Robin's ass because he asked if you shaved your legs!"

Mr. Yuy's eyes widened. "You shave your legs?!"

Heero groaned and shook his head. "No, dad, but since I'm gay, Robin assumed that I did." Pulling up a leg, Heero dragged up the pant leg and showed of a normal, hairy teenage boy's leg. "See?"

"And to my defense, I don't shave either. Not here, there, anywhere," Duo grinned, but made no attempt to prove the fact. He didn't think Mr. Yuy would approve of that, not when they were finally reaching a solution.

Mr. Yuy looked relieved and nodded in satisfaction. "I… That's good."

Duo chuckled and grinned at Mr. Yuy who looked very uncertain about what to do. Mrs. Yuy cleared her throat and got up from her chair. "Well, I think we need to put the conversation on hold for now. I am sure you all must be hungry by now."

As a reply, Duo's stomach started to growl, and loudly at that.

Heero snickered while Mr. Yuy looked mildly amused. Mrs. Yuy only laughed. "And you are more than welcome to join us, Duo."

Duo smiled. "Thank you, ma'am."

Mrs. Yuy smiled before looking over at her son. "Heero? Would you care to help me make dinner?"

Heero nodded, understanding what her plan was. It wouldn't hurt for his father and Duo to talk a little further without them. The ground was far from secure underneath their feet, but at least they'd started to build a foundation underneath themselves so there was still hope.

"Sure thing, okasan," he said before getting up, planting a kiss to Duo's lips. "You be good now, okay?"

Duo grinned. "Ain't I always?"

Heero only snorted before glancing over to his father. "And please… Please, can't you get to know him?" Heero almost pleaded before joining his mother in the kitchen.

Mr. Yuy just groaned, but nodded before looking at the braided teen.

Duo just bit his lip and looked around the room. The silence was almost deafening. "So…" he started while twiddling his thumbs around. "How about them Knicks?"

Mr. Yuy raised an eyebrow at that. "Knicks?"

Duo nodded and smiled sheepishly. "You know… Sports team. Basketball. It's this sport where ten tall men run around on a court and tries to-"

"I know what basketball is," Mr. Yuy interrupted and crossed his arms. "But… You like sports?"

Duo nodded and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "Well, yeah. Love sports. Prefer basketball over other things, but I don't mind some football and baseball if the occasion calls for it."

"Is that a fact," Mr. Yuy murmured. "Heero was never really a… Sportsman, even if he was on the basketball team in San Francisco."

"Oh," Duo blinked. "That's odd. He loves playing basketball with me and the guys, and we often watch sports on TV when we're hanging." Offering a small smile to Mr. Yuy, he shrugged. "Maybe it was the team that was the problem and not the sport itself? That's the reason I quit on the basketball team at school. Horrible team spirit. And I guess there's always something odd about hanging with your parents."

Mr. Yuy grunted, but couldn't deny what the braided boy had said. Heero had said that the team-spirit on his old team had been horrible, but he had continued to play because Mr. Yuy had wished him to. "So you like sports," he said again and just looked at the male on his couch.

Duo nodded again. "Yeah. I like a lot of things beside drawing and stuff," he said and leaned back against the couch. "I like to work with engines, have an old friend down at the scrap-heap down town that's teaching me about cars and stuff. I work with him occasionally, Heero's even been there to lend a hand. It's a lot off fun. He says he's gonna give me a Harley Davidson XLCR as soon as I'm 18. To give me something to tinker on."

Mr. Yuy nodded and actually looked interested. "A XLCR you say," he murmured. "That's a good bike. Has a top speed of 120 mph, doesn't it?"

Duo nodded and grinned. "But let me play with it and I can get it up to at least 130 with some loving tinkering."

"Is that so," Mr. Yuy said and sat up more properly into the chair. "You must be good with engines then."

Duo laughed and grinned. "Well, I'm not a master yet, but I know a thing or two with cars and bikes by now. I just can't wait until I get that bike. I'm gonna tune it up before packing a bag and go mountain tripping."

"You like that as well?"

Duo nodded. "Sure! That's why we invited Heero to join us at the mountain last Christmas. He told us about his trips with… Some dude named Odin and how he missed going camping and stuff. Was hoping we'd get a chance to do that during the summer too."

Heero just smiled as he listened to his dad and boyfriend talk.

Maybe things would work out nicely after all?

xoxoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: _

_1 Shut up!!_

_2 Fuck off, dickhead!!_

_Well, the problem with Heero's dad isn't over yet. While he may acknowledge the relationship, it's not as easy to accept it. And the story… Is far from over._

_Was it acceptable? Need feedback, I live for feedback. Remember to review. -points at the review button- _


	43. A Long Night

**New Hope Home**

Well, things seem peachy enough now, doesn't it? But will it last? Heero's father might finally have acknowledged the relationship, but does he accept it? And what about Relena? We haven't heard from her in a while now.

Read and you might find out.

But no guaranties. -grins and winks-

xoxoxoxoxoxo

"A Long Night:"

Dinner passed in comfortable companionship, both Mr. Yuy and Heero behaving and trying to make it as pleasant as possible. Or at least as civil as possible.

Both teens could feel that the older man as still on the edge, but at least he was willing to try to accept that his son was having a relationship with another man. They just had to be careful and not pounce on one another when he was nearby.

When dinner was over with and they once again were placed in the living room by Heero's mother, Heero and Duo felt that they could relax a little now that everything, or at least most things, were out of the bag. They even allowed themselves to hold each othershands as they talked among themselves. Duo saw that the gestures they had made to each other was making Mr. Yuy frown and even twitch a little, but he had to hand it to him over the fact that he didn't snap or start to yell again. The man was trying, which only proved to Duo that Mr. Yuy only wanted what was best for his son.

The conversation between the four of them was… Quiet at best and after about an hour of just sitting and looking around in the room, Duo excused himself. He had some obligations to tend to. So after an overdone bow and a wave, he walked to the hallway, followed by Heero.

As Duo said good bye, he took Heero's hand and gave him a look. "You… You do know that the battle has just begun, don't you? That just because your dad seemed to relax now, that is going to change. A man doesn't just turn around and change at the blink of an eye."

Heero nodded and sighed. "I know, but that doesn't really… Well, it bothers me so I won't say that it doesn't, but the important thing is that he knows now."

Duo nodded and smiled a little. "You've taken a huge step today, Heero. Now it can only go upwards, alright?"

Heero chuckled and smiled back. "Yeah, I suppose you are right…"

Duo smiled before glancing back into the house. "Are you… Sure you wanna stay here? Tonight? Things might change when I'm out, yanno…"

"I'll take my chances, Duo. This is my battle and I need to fight it. You've already stood up for me so many times, but it is time I show my father that I am just as stubborn at this as I am too many other things."

Duo snickered with that before flashing Heero a bright smile. "Go for it, Hee-man."

Heero chuckled as well before leaning forward to place a kiss on Duo's lips. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Duo nodded and smiled before leaning in for another kiss. "Okay. Call after eight, okay? I'm usually the one who reads the stories for the small ones and they hate it when the story gets cut."

Heero snickered and grinned. He remembered the crying in the background the last time he'd disturbed Duo during story-time. It had taken a lot of playing from his side before the little girl had forgiven him. It was just a shame that she had been adopted away about a week after he'd finally earned her forgiveness.

"Okay, I will remember that, Duo. I'll call you around nine, just to be sure."

Duo chuckled and gave Heero's hand a squeeze. "Then that's a deal. And… If you need anything or if anything happens…"

"I will call you," Heero finished and smiled.

"Right," Duo chuckled before leaning over to give Heero one last kiss before he had to go back.

Heero waved after him as his lover left before sighing and closing the door. He didn't want Duo to go home, didn't want to be here alone. He was afraid that now that Duo was out of the house, his father would throw a tantrum, start yelling, anything.

He walked back to the living-room, halfway expected hate-full looks or comments. But nothing came. His mother gave him a smile while his father was looking emptily into the air.

"I…" Heero started, but was quickly silenced as his father lifted a hand

"Please… Not now… No more tonight. I need to think," he said in a quiet, emotionless tone.

Heero nodded. "Aa… I'll be in my room," he said quietly before turning and walking towards the stairs.

"Heero."

Heero turned around, watching as his mother got up from her chair and walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. Mrs. Yuy smiled up at her slightly taller son. "I am proud of you, Heero… Really, I am…"

Heero gave her a half-smile in return, having a hard time feeling happy. He was relieved, but he was also conscious to what Duo had said. This was quite possible the calm before the storm."Thank you…" he murmured softly and placed his hand over hers, squeezing it.

Mrs. Yuy nodded and smiled at her son before kissing his cheek. "Things will clear up. Just keep your head up and that boy around you, okay?"

Heero laughed a little and nodded before carefully releasing his shoulder from his mother's grasp. "I intend to," he smiled before starting to walk up the stairs. "I'll be I my room, doing some homework for the upcoming week."

Mrs. Yuy nodded and walked back to the living room after calling out a "Don't sit up too late," after her son.

Heero nodded and gave her a small smile before starting to walk up to his room. Opening the door, Heero stopped and just looked around for a moment. It was so… Quiet. The bed was neatly made up, no books were scattered and all the clothes were folded up neatly and was lying on a chair by the bed. The computer was still on, from where he had left it the day his father had found out. His hand automatically traveled up to his cheek and he touched the skin carefully, almost as if afraid that it would hurt.

Sighing, Heero simply shook his head before walking to the desk and sat down in front of the computer, touching the mouse so the screen-saver vanished and his desktop appeared.

So the battle had just begun… That's what Duo had said. Heero sighed again and rubbed his forehead. What could be left? He'd done what he'd wanted, he'd told his father about his relationship with Duo. If it wasn't accepted, then it wasn't. Heero didn't really give a damn either way. What was important was that he and Duo were together. It was his and Duo's business anyway, the rest of the world could kiss his ass for all he cared.

Looking up some homework he had yet to do, Heero slowly started typing while thinking. He said he didn't care, that he'd accomplished what he wanted. But why was his heart still beating so heavily? Why was he still scared?

Sighing, Heero lowered his head until his forehead rested against his computer screen. He was lying to himself all over again. He wanted the impossible. He wanted his father to welcome his and Duo's relationship with open arms and accept the fact that he was gay.

"Funny," he mumbled to himself and snorted, a small smile playing on his lips. "I've always looked at the world through straight eyes… I've seen and accepted reality as it is and never let dreams and desires come in my way because they rarely come true… I guess I am nothing but a dreamer after all… Wanting the impossible…"

Closing his eyes, Heero let out a small sigh before sitting up straight again. He thought he understood a little bit more of what Duo was saying about the battle. It wasn't just his father, it was himself as well. The logical bit of his mind was giving away to what he hoped would happen, not what he knew would happen. He'd been handed the key to his own soul on a silver plate and since then he'd struggled to hold himself in. He hadn't changed, not much, but enough for it to be noticeable. Enough to show that he was more than just a stoic book-worm and athlete. A loner.

He was more.

Rubbing his forehead after lifting it away from the screen, his bangs static and standing straight out from the screen, Heero sighed again before getting up. Resting both his hands behind his head, Heero started pacing his room while thinking.

Was he being selfish? Was he only thinking about his own emotions and not about his family? Not about Duo? He thought he did. "There's a time to think of others and a time to think about yourself," he told himself and nodded, trying to believe the words. He had no problem being gay. He'd never felt better, never felt more proud than having Duo by his side. He was honored and thrilled to have made such great friends, and he was proud of being a part of their gang. A "Fallen Angel". He couldn't understand the deal with it. Sure, the blood-line stopped with him, but that didn't mean he couldn't have everything a straight man could. He could still marry, only that it would only be recognized in one state and in Canada. He could still adopt, though that would take years. He could still get a good job and a steady income. He could live a complete life, though certain things would take longer than for a normal couple.

Walking over to the wall, Heero rested his head there and closed his eyes, letting his hand lie next to his face as some sort of support. Why was this so damn hard? How had Duo been able to do this for so long? How had Trowa and Quatre been able to fight their way through it? He knew Trowa has said that his parents didn't give a damn, and that Quatre had said he'd been fortunate enough to have his parent's acceptance right away. But then again… He had 29 sisters, even though most of them were test-tube babies. He chuckled a little. 29 sisters… He still wondered why so many, Quatre hadn't really said anything about itexcept that they'd prepared many tubes in case some of the fetuses died. "Guess that's what happens when you crap money," he snorted and shook his head.

His friends had clawed their way through this. So could he. He'd taken the first steps, both his parents knew, he'd showed who he was and that he was proud of it. Now the ball was on his parents' half of the court and it was up to them if they wanted to pass it back or deflate it.

Shaking his head, Heero pushed himself away from the wall and walked over to his bed instead, lying down onto his stomach before hugging his pillow close to him. He felt like a disobedient child, even if he knew he hadn't done anything wrong. His mind was running in circles, asking questions he had no answers to yet.

"Maybe tomorrow will look a little brighter…" Closing his eyes, Heero kicked off his socks before curling up around the pillow. He was suddenly so very very tired…

Before long, he was asleep, facing a long and restless night.

xoxoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: Sorry, this chapter is very very short. Forgive me, but Real Life came and kicked my ass and now I'm struggling with finding a new place to stay and surviving in general. Oh, well… At least school's out for now._

_And… I struggled very with this chapter. So I am very very sorry. I'll try my best to give some action again, I have everything planned. I just have to get my mind sorted and stuff. . Think I've lost the month they're in and everything. Think they're in… March or something. Oh, well. Don't give up on me!_


	44. Release

**New Hope Home**

Sorry about the slow updates, but I am struggling with inspiration and real life. Things will be a little quiet on my side and while I know where my story's going, I am by purpose keeping things a little… Quiet now so I can take my time to get my inspiration back.

So if I update slowly, then please bare with me. I am NOT giving the story up.

So as an apology for my delays and slow updating, here's a little surprise for you. Enjoy it. –wink-

THIS IS A CHAPTER WITH LIME IN IT!! FOR THOSE OFF YOU WHO CAN'T TAKE IT, JUST JUMP OVER THE CHAPTER!! IT HAS NO SIGNIFICANT MEANING FOR THE MAIN STORY!!!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

xoxoxoxox

"Release:"

"Honey… You look like shit."

Heero gave Hilde a look while closing the book he'd been reading during lunch, the sandwich and coffee he'd bought for lunch forgotten. "I thank you for your observations," he said dryly and packed it away into his bag. "And I ask you so kindly to keep your next comments about my obvious appearance to yourself."

Hilde snorted and grinned while sitting down next to the Japanese teen by the table. "Oh, so grumpy. Haven't gotten any in a while?"

"Well, there's that too…" Heero grumbled and ran a hand through his hair. "But my main concern isn't sex, it's my sanity."

"Ouch, problems at home?"

Heero shrugged. "Yes and no. But… I'd rather not talk about that here." Looking around, Heero sighed a little before going back to his now cold meal.

"Don't worry, Duo's coming. He's just checking out how his picture's doing."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Am I that obvious?"

Hilde smirked. "Like a lost puppy."

Heero groaned and pushed the tray with his lunch away. "Wonderful… So much for independence."

Hilde laughed before smiling and nudging Heero's side. "Hey… I know we didn't do much for your birthday, since you said you wanted to keep it cool and all…"

Heero raised an eyebrow and looked at her. His birthday had been in February, just after Valentines Day, and he'd almost begged them to take it easy. As much as he loved hanging out with his friends, and he'd enjoyed both Trowa and Wufei's outings, he'd wanted his own birthday to be…calm. So he'd taken them all to a restaurant before they'd gone home to Quatre'sto have cake and watch movies. It had been very nice and quiet, just like he wanted it.

Though the liquor-bottle had been looked up around midnight and a few shots had been made.

"Where are you going with this?"

Hilde smiled and waggled her finger in Heero's face. "Well, Duo's birthday's coming up soon and we're planning a nice party for him. Nothing over the top, maybe a trip to a disco, good food and all that shit, but… We wanted to check if you had something planned. So it doesn't crash and all."

Heero shook his head and shrugged. "Haven't really planned anything. Was thinking about taking him out, but… Doesn't really matter where."

Hilde nodded and grinned while stealing Heero's sandwich and took a bite. "Excellent, because we were planning on taking him out to this real neat club downtown. Don't think he's been there before. It's a gay club so nobody should stare. … Well… Not in a bad way anyway. You should be on your toes though, just in case somebody tries to steal him."

Heero just snorted before giving Hilde a small glare. Hilde blinked and took another bite from the sandwich before a light went on. "… Oh, sorry! You were gonna eat that?"

"… Not anymore."

"Come on, you were just poking it. It didn't seem like you were going to eat it."

"… Sure you're not Duo's long-lost sister?"

"I love you too, Heero."

xoxoxoxoxoxo

"I know what you two need."

Duo looked up from him history book and stared at Quatre. The class had been given an assignment by the teacher and Quatre and Duo had chosen to retreat to the library to get some work done. So this was where they were seated as Quatre suddenly grinned and stared at Duo with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"… I'm afraid to ask, but I'm gonna do it anyway."

Quatre snickered and brought his pen to his lips, letting the end of it tap against his lower lip. "You two need a week-end by yourself. A night with just the two of you so you can "appreciate" each other in private."

Duo snorted and shook his head while looking back down into his book, writing down a few notes that he needed. "Well, that would be nice, but you're forgetting one thing. Our current living-arrangements. I can't bring Heero home to me to "appreciate" him as you called it. Kids can hear, see or just plain walk in on us and that is not something I wanna share with 'em. And I can't go to Heero's place, I'd never be allowed to stay the night."

Quatre chuckled and continued to grin, the gleam in his eyes still there. "Oh, I know that, Duo. I know." Putting the pen down, Quatre pressed the tips of his fingers together while supporting his elbows onto the table. "Therefore I will give you an offer that you can't refuse," he added, using his best drawling voice.

Duo raised an eyebrow and smirked before shaking his head, tapping his pen against Quatre's forehead. "You sound like the Godfather, man."

Quatre grinned and stole the pen from Duo. "For you, I could be."

Duo snorted and rose up from his chair to lean over the table, grabbing after his pen, trying to get it back. "So what do you have in mind, Godfather? As far as I know, all my friends still live at home so we can't exactly borrow an apartment from you, and I absolutely refuse to come home to you and your mansion, just to be alone with Heero."

Quatre laughed and held out his hand. "Kiss my hand and I will make your dreams come true."

Duo raised an eyebrow and stopped chasing after his pen. Sitting back down onto the chair, he stared at the hand. "… Okay, I hope you don't expect a kidney or something for this. And no crushing of knee-caps would be nice as well."

The blond grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Now, would I do that? Kiss my hand and I will be happy."

Duo looked skeptical, but still took Quatre's hand in his. "… Okay, I know I'm gonna regret this. You're plotting something."

"Oh, but what I can do for you will totally make up for what I may or may not have planned for you."

Duo still looked skeptical, but his curiosity was being tickled. Badly. "… What's your offer?"

Quatre smiled sweetly. "How does a weekend at a nice hotel room down town sound to you?"

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Expensive."

"Ah, but of course-" Quatre started and lifted his free hand up, his index finger pointing upwards. "-all expenses will be paid for. By me. Consider it a present."

Duo shook his head. "No. I can't accept that kind of charity and you know it."

Quatre gave Duo a look before shaking his head. "It is not charity, it**'s** help. And as you implied, I will ask a favor of you later, but that is not the main reason why I am offering this. You two haven't been able to be alone, to be together for a long time. Not properly. And you two need it." Offering Duo a small smile, Quatre tugged his hand away from Duo's before grabbing both of Duo's hands between his and gave them a squeeze. "When was the last time you slept together? When was the last time you two just held each other all night without worrying? You need this, Duo. Take it."

Duo stared at Quatre before chuckling and nodding. "Okay… But don't go overboard, okay? A decent room is okay, you know my standards."

Quatre chuckled and grinned. "Just… Let me have my fun, okay? I'll leave you to coaxHeero into this."

Duo chuckled and removed his hands from Quatre's, only to take his hand and kiss it. "Somehow, I don't think it'll be that hard. But you'll have to figure out something for him to do as well, or he won't accept."

"Oh, I don't think that'll be too hard."

Duo just shook his head before swatting the blond over the head, laughing merrily as his friend let out a whimper.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

"I thought you said Quatre wouldn't go overboard."

Duo whistled and looked around the room Quatre had provided them with, letting his bag slide down onto the floor. "Well, yeah, but… You know Quatre… This is probably bad standard in his eyes."

The hotel was a classy one and the room they were currently in was almost like a suite. Right now they were standing in what looked to be a living-room, complete with a very comfy looking black couch and chair, a glass-table, a big TV, what looked like a liquor cabinet and a fridge. The back of the room had a huge panorama window, half-covered with curtains at the moment and a beautiful view over the city. To the right was a door that Duo suspected lead to the bathroom while to his left was a door that probably was to the bedroom.

Before Duo could check it out, Heero had picked up the bag he'd dropped to the floor and walked into the bedroom. "… Duo… It's huge."

"What is?" Duo stole a peak into the room before gaping. Heero was standing in front of a huge, satin-covered bed; their bags obviously had been dropped straight down.

"The bed. It's a four-poster bed." Heero looked around before glancing over at his lover. "… This is all for us for the week-end?"

Duo nodded and walked over to Heero, gently grasping his hand in his. "Yup. All ours. Room-services included."

Heero looked around the room again before looking at Duo. "… Is this really necessary?"

Duo shook his head before he turned his own head to look back at his lover. "No." Then he blushed a little and looked away, shrugging his shoulders. "But it is a nice gesture and… I'd really like a week-end alone with you," he murmured. "… We haven't really been alone together since that one time… Sure, we've had make-out sessions and some hand and blow jobs when we've been able too, but… We haven't had a night alone in a long time…"

Heero just stared at his lover before he nodded. Still having a grasp on Duo's hand, Heero used it to tug the braided teen into his arms and hugged him close, one arm wrapped around the thin waist while the other was quick to bury itself into his hair. "… I know what you mean… The sex isn't that important, but… I'd love to have this weekend to just hold you close to me as we sleep…" Pulling back enough so he could see Duo's face, he offered a small smile. "Let's enjoy this weekend, shall we?"

Duo bit his lip, but still wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. "I wanna enjoy this weekend with you, but I just can't help but feel bad that Quatre has to pay for us to be alone…"

"We'll pay him back, koi," Heero murmured and pressed a quick kiss to Duo's lips. "Think of it as a birthday present. It's your birthday soon, after all…"

Duo chuckled at that before smiling and nodding. "Yeah… Yeah, okay… Let's just enjoy each other tonight and the rest of the weekend, okay?"

Heero chuckled and stole another kiss from his lover. "Didn't I just say that?"

Duo snorted and pushed Heero towards the bed, watching his lover bounce of the mattress before walking over and straddling Heero's hips, grinning and looking down at him. "What did your parents say anyway? When they found out that you wouldn't be home all weekend?"

Heero just grinned back while placing his hands on Duo's thighs. "Well, I could tell that dad was ready to have a fit. But mum said it was okay as long as we didn't do anything outrageous or dangerous. And if I called if something happened."

Duo chuckled and placed his own hands over Heero's. "Pretty much the same thing Helen and Father told me then."

"Do you think they know just where we are?"

The braided teen shrugged before climbing off his lover, snuggling up to his side instead, still wearing his jacket and shoes. That didn't matter though; their feet were dangling outside the bed's frame anyway. "Probably not. My guess is that Father and Helen think we're with Quatre and I am pretty sure that your parents think the same thing. They wouldn't have let us go if they knew we were in a hotel-room alone for the weekend. I mean, that's probably a give-away on what we're planning."

Heero smirked and turned his head to look at Duo, reaching out an arm to reel Duo more firmly against him. "And what are we planning?"

Duo smirked back and used a hand to play with the fabric covering Heero's chest. "Well… That depends… But the main plan was that we were supposed to enjoy each other… Fully…"

Chuckling, the Japanese teen shook his head before leaning forward to kiss Duo softly. "And we will… But for now, we should get something to eat…"

Duo nodded and smiled softly. "Sounds good, Heero… And at least we get to pay for that."

Heero snorted and shook his head before sitting up on the bed. "Come on. Lets find the nearest take-away place and get some food."

Duo grinned and jumped up from the bed. "I'm right behind you.

xoxoxoxox

"N-n… Heero, don't… Ah!"

"Consider it your punishment for eating the last dumpling. Now shut up and let me enjoy myself."

"You're such a-AH! A damn tease!"

Heero smirked against the pale flesh that was Duo's shoulder before licking over a purplish mark on his lover's neck. "Are you saying that you do not like it?"

Duo shook his head and swallowed as Heero's hand started moving up and down his thigh again, biting his lip to prevent himself from moaning. "N-no… I h-have no problem with it."

Smirking again, Heero kissed over the purple mark again before letting his lips trail over the warm skin. Finding himself an unmarked spot, Heero kissed it tenderly before biting down and starting to suck, making Duo gasp and kick out in reflex. "E-easy or I'll hit the table. D-don't want to spill s-sweet and sour sauce over the floor."

Heero considered Duo's words for a moment before releasing the patch of skin between his teeth and gave it a kiss. "Are you suggesting that we should take it somewhere else?"

Duo nodded and opened his eyes, looking over at his lover before grinning a little. "Yeah… Yeah, let's do… I'd been dying to test out that bed since we got here."

Heero chuckled before getting up, holding out a hand for his lover. Duo smiled up at him before reaching out his hand and taking it, hoisting himself up from the couch. Looking his lover over, he chuckled softly. "I think you're starting to outgrow me, lover…"

Heero smirked a little and gave Duo's forehead a kiss. "Maybe a little… A few inches… Does it bother you?"

Duo chuckled and shook his head, grinning up at Heero. "Why would it? But before you outgrow me completely…" Letting out a yelp, Heero suddenly found himself lifted straight up by Duo and carried towards the bedroom.

"Duo, watch your back!"

"Don't worry, baby! I have it all under control!" Tossing Heero onto the bed, Duo pounced, straddling Heero's hips and grinning down at him. "In fact… I think I wanna be in complete control this time…"

Heero stared up at him, slightly wide-eyed. His heart started pounding in his chest, he was feeling frightened, but at the same time he was feeling so very excited. He was used to having control, he craved control, but maybe…

Just maybe…

It wouldn't be so bad to hand it over to his braided lover. He trusted the male, he knew he wouldn't harm him or abuse the trust. Placing his hands onto Duo's tights, Heero grinned up at his lover. "What did you have in mind?"

Duo smiled before bending down to lightly brush his lips over his lovers. It meant so much to him that Heero was letting him take charge, he knew how hard it was for Heero to give away his control. Duo swore he wouldn't abuse that trust. "Trust me," he murmured as be pulled away from the light kiss. "You'll enjoy yourself… I'll make sure you do…"

"I trust you," Heero murmured while moving his hands around Duo's waist instead, stroking his fingers over the braided teens side. "I trust you with all my heart…"

Feeling his heart beat faster with those words, Duo carefully took one of Heero's hands in his and brought it up to his lips. "Let me know if I do something wrong," he murmured against the hand before kissing one of his lover's knuckles. "Let me know if I do anything you don't like…"

Heero nodded before tugging the hand back and placed it at the back of Duo's neck. Giving his lover a smirk as he saw the shocked expression from his action, Heero made sure that the shocked face was replaced with one of bliss as he tugged Duo's head down for a kiss.

Nimble hands started working on clothing, fingers started exploring the areas that was underneath the barriers and lips tasting the skin of their lover. Soon the two of them were naked, arms wrapped around each other and lips mashed together as they kissed each other hungrily. It had been way too long since the last time they'd been together like this. Forbidden touches in Heero's bedroom, stolen kisses wherever they could and gentle caresses under the cloak of night just weren't enough. They hadn't made love since that first time on Valentine**'s **Day and they both needed that closeness.

Feeling a little strange as he was the one pushed against the mattress, Heero closed his eyes as he felt Duo's lips ghost over his shoulder and his hands caressing over his body. He wasn't surprised that Duo was very thoroughin his caresses and Heero felt touched because of it. He knew that this was the first time Duo would top and his braided lover was going all out to make sure that Heero would enjoy it.

Letting out a small moan as Duo located and started sucking on one of his nipples, Heero closed his eyes and just let himself feel. There was plenty of time for thinking later. Now was all about feeling and enjoying. Those sinfully good lips continued down over his chest and stomach, stopping for a second so he could feel the sensation of Duo's tongue into his bellybutton, and Heero was left helplessly in Duo's mercy.

Digging his fingers into the bed sheets as he felt Duo's warm mouth over his erection, Heero gritted his teeth before moaning loudly. They may not have been the most experienced couple, but Duo sure knew what he was doing. Not resisting the urge, Heero's hand untangled itself from the sheets and buried itself into Duo's still braided hair. "Duo," he moaned as his lover continued to bob up and down on his erection, trying his best to prevent his hips from thrusting up into the warm mouth. "Duo… Can I… Can you..?"

Stopping the movement, Duo's mouth left Heero's erection and looked up at his lover. "Yes?"

Swallowing, Heero shifted so his upper body was supported with the help of his elbow. "Can I… Can I unbraid your hair? I wanna see you with your hair down…"

Duo blinked a little before smiling and nodding. "Sure… Go ahead…"

Smiling in gratitude, Heero sat up as Duo turned around and shifted so he was sitting between Heero's legs. Carefully loosening up the rubber band that was holding the hair braided together, Heero raked his fingers and loosening the strands up. Soon his lover's hair was loose, hanging down between them and Heero couldn't resist the urge to sniff it. Carefully burying his face in the soft strands while wrapping his arms around Duo's waist, he inhaled deeply before murmuring softly. "You have the lube?"

Duo nodded while using his hands to caress Heero's thighs. "Uh… It's in my bag…"

"Get it," Heero murmured back and placed a kiss on Duo's shoulder. "I'll prepare myself mentally."

Duo nodded and slowly moved out of Heero's arms, fetching his bag and started digging through his toilet-articles. "Heero, if you want me to be on the bottom, then I am fine with it."

Heero shook his head and smiled down at his naked lover, shifting so his elbows were supporting his upper body. "Don't be silly, Duo… I want to give this to you…"

Duo smiled back up at Heero before crawling up onto the bed and covered Heero's body with his own. "Thank you," he murmured before kissing his lover, thrusting his tongue into his lover's mouth as he felt Heero's arms wrap around him and keeping him in place.

"Do it now… You've teased me long enough," Heero moaned as Duo broke the kiss and started moving his lips down over Heero's neck and over his shoulder.

Duo nodded and pulled away so he was lying between Heero's legs. Removing the cork from the tube of lube, Duo squirted a good amount out onto his fingers before putting the lube onto the bed. "Okay… Let me know if I'm doing anything wrong or that hurts," he murmured while using the un-lubed hand to nudge Heero's legs apart.

Heero nodded and once again lifted his upper body up from the bed by the means of his elbows and watched as Duo kissed the inside of his tights. "Okay…"

Duo nodded before breathing out and moved his fingers forward. Simply circling the lubed finger around Heero's entrance for now, making the muscles relax before pushing a finger against it, feeling the muscles protest. "Relax," he murmured to his lover before using more force, watching as the finger disappeared into Heero's body. "How does that feel?"

"Feels odd," Heero grunted as he felt Duo's finger move in and out of his body carefully, trying his best to relax. "It's… Different alright… I'm glad you're good with cutting your nails," he murmured, making Duo laugh.

"Anything for you," he teased before kissing the top of Heero's thigh, smiling as he saw Heero's leg shiver. That was positive, it meant he was doing something right.

As soon as he felt Heero relax around his finger, Duo pushed in a second finger, using slow motions to help Heero adjust. They had all weekend. Soon the small grunts of discomfort were replaced with whimpers of pleasure. Small droplets of sweat were gathering on Heero's brow and his breathing was coming out in small puffs.

"Duo… Duo, please…"

Smiling, Duo placed a kiss on the tip of Heero's erection while pulling his fingers slowly out from Heero's hole. "Patience, my love… Patience…"

"I don't want to be patient," Heero growled, making Duo chuckle as the located the tube with lube.

"Well… I best give you what you want," Duo teased while adding more lube into his hand and started lathering up his erection. Positioning himself between Heero's legs, Duo looked into Heero's eyes and swallowed. "Heero… Do let me know if you want to stop," he started, only to be pulled down by his lover and kissed hard enough to bruise.

"Duo, if you stop now, I swear to god that I'll take matters into my own hands and I cannot promise that you'll like it," he growled, making Duo chuckle.

"Okay, okay," he murmured while grabbing the base of his penis and guided it towards Heero's entrance. "Remember to breathe," he added before slowly starting to push into Heero's warm body.

The feeling was incredible, so different from being the one receiving. Instead of the feeling of being filled, of being claimed, his penis was being drawn into a new type of warmth, claiming instead of being claimed. It felt a hundred times better than any hand or mouth, the heat and tightness of Heero's body wrapping around him.

Heero was basically feeling the same. This was just as enjoyable as being the one claiming, and while his anal muscles were burning a little from being stretched, the feeling of being filled, of being claimed and possessed was exquisite.

"Move dammit," Heero growled and Duo complied, snapping his hips and drawing his erection out of Heero's body before pushing back in. Soon a steady rhythm was picked up, Duo snapping his hips and moving in and out of his lover's body, while Heero was using his hips to push back against each thrust.

It had been too long since they'd been like this, Duo knew they wouldn't last long. Feeling Heero's fingers dig into his back, Duo let out a small groan before snaking his hand between their bodies and grasped Heero's erection and started pumping.

Feeling the familiar tightening of his balls, Duo picked up his speed before letting out a loud moan, screaming out Heero's name as he started coming in hot spurts.

Shuttering as he felt a wet heat fill him from the inside, Heero arched his back while hugging his body close to Duo's, hissing out his lover's name as he started coming as well, covering their stomachs with white, hot seed.

Collapsing onto his lover, Duo panted and closed his eyes while trying to regain his strength. Smiling a little as he felt Heero's embrace loosen and shift, one arm around his lover**'s** shoulder and the other around Duo's belly. Duo shifted as well, gently pulling out of Heero's body before laying down next to him, his head on Heero's chest and his arm around his belly.

"Wow," Heero breathed while kissing Duo's forehead, his arm tightening around his lover's shoulders.

"You can say that again," Duo chuckled and wrapped his arm around Heero's chest. "Damn… I didn't know it felt that good to be on that side of the field," he murmured and kissed Heero's chest.

"Felt pretty darn good to be the one receiving too," Heero chuckled, making Duo laugh. "But…"

Duo looked up and raised an eyebrow. "But?"

Heero smirked a little. "But I think it's unfair that I'm the only one who's gonna spend the week-end with a sore ass," he growled before shifting and pouncing, making Duo yelp before howling with laughter.

"Baby, have mercy on my ass!"

xoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: _

_Yeah… This is my first 2x1 lime and… Well… It felt very… Odd to write it. While I support 1x2x1, or 12, as equals in every way, even in bed, I have a fetish for Duo as the submissive one. ; Oh, well. XD Hope you liked it anyway. And once again, I am so sorry for being slow. _


	45. Say You Love Me

**New Hope Home**

New chapter. Man, thought I'd never be able to finish this one up, real life is being brutal! I am still aiming to update at least once a month, but I can't promise anything. College keeps me pretty busy and it's not always that my muse is available when I want it to be. I swear, the damn thing must have a part-time job as a "mini-muse" somewhere.

Anyway, pretty calm chapter this time, but I can promise more action soon.

Enjoy!

xoxoxox

"Say You Love Me :"

After a much needed, and well-used weekend together, paid for by a certain Quatre Raberba Winner, both boys felt much better than they had. Despite the fact that they both got some looks from their classmates, they both were walking a little funny, they didn't get any comments on it.

"So how was the weekend?"

Duo just chuckled and gave Heero a look while he chewed on a carrot. Heero smirked back and leaned against Duo, their shoulders touching.

Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Umm… Guys?"

"Yeah," Duo said in a sing-song while staring into his lover's eyes, smiling lovingly to Heero while Heero's own lips tugged into a small smile. They hadn't been able to be apart from each other since they came to school.

Quatre chuckled while Trowa shook his head. "I take it that the weekend was good for you then," he teased while watching Heero and Duo share the rest of the carrot between them, their lips barely touching each other, teasing their partners.

"Uh-huh," Duo replied as Heero bit down on the carrot, separating the vegetables, but keeping their lips touching.

"It was very good," Heero added, giving Duo a brief kiss before pulling back enough so their lips weren't touching anymore, though they could still feel the warmth from the other pair against their own.

Quatre chuckled and grinned at Trowa. "See? I told you this was a good idea. See how relaxed they are now? A weekend away from it all was just what they needed."

"I never said the idea was bad," Trowa countered while stealing a carrot from Heero's lunch. The Japanese teen was too caught up in his lover to notice anyway. "What I disagreed with was how you planned on doing it. You know they don't like charities."

"I'll have them pay me back," Quatre replied while leaning back against his chair.

Trowa raised an eyebrow, not really believing that the blond would. He didn't say anything on it thought, he settled for tapping Heero's shoulder before nodding against his watch. "Don't you have class now?"

"In a minute," Heero replied before taking Duo's hand in his, gently kissing his knuckles. "So I'll see you after school," he murmured while looking at Duo, a small smile tugging on his lips, though the smile was hid behind Duo's hand.

Duo nodded and smiled back before leaning forward to brush his lips against Heero's. "Uh-huh… I'll call ya when you can come… I bet I have lots of work to do since I was gone all weekend," he murmured back when they parted again.

"I'll help you," Heero replied, looking like the mere thought of letting go of Duo's hand would result in the death of him. "Then we can study together since otasan's being on the edge again," he added, his brows frowning a little, but only for a split second.

"I'd like that," Duo replied and nodded before kissing Heero again. "I hafta go… Class…"

"Okay," Heero replied before stealing another kiss, slowly letting go off Duo's hand, who waved, blew Heero another kiss and vanished along with Quatre out of the cafeteria.

Trowa just snorted and shook his head, flashing Heero a grin. "You know… That was even creepier than the way you two behaved when you first started dating."

Heero smirked and finished up his own lunch, still having a slightly lovesick expression on his face. "I seriously doubt I'm any worse than you and Quatre," he mused before running a hand through his hair. He missed Duo already.

Trowa chuckled and shook his head again before getting up. "Come on, Heero. Let's go to class. The quicker this day is over with, the quicker I am freed from that expression on your face."

Heero raised an eyebrow while getting up as well, gathering the trash onto his tray to be disposed off. "What expression."

"The expression of a lost puppy."

"… Leave me alone."

Trowa just laughed and patted Heero's back as they walked towards their next class.

xoxoxoxoxox

"Hitler oversaw one of the greatest expansions of industrial production and civil improvement Germany had ever seen, mostly based on debt flotation and expansion of the military. Nazi policies toward women strongly encouraged them to stay at home to bear children and keep house. In a September 1934 speech to the National Socialist Women's Organization, Adolf Hitler argued that for the German woman her-" Duo glanced over at Heero from his spot on the bed, his back propped up against the head of his bed and with one leg crossed over the other. "What did Hilter say about German women, Heero?"

"Hmm?" Heero smiled a little, stopping the light caress to Duo's calf for a slight second before picking it back up again.

Duo sighed and shook his head. "He said that her "world is her husband, her family, her children, and her home". Honestly, Heero, you were the one that wanted us to study together and you don't even pay attention?"

Heero smirked a little while leaning back against Duo's propped up legs, still caressing Duo's calf with one hand, the other holding his history book. "I don't really give a damn about what Hitler said about German women, it's not relevant for any future tests or jobs for that matter."

"Unless one's planning a career in history," Duo quipped while using the leg crossed over the other to give the back of Heero's head a nudge. "Besides, you were the one telling me to read up everything."

Heero smirked and turned his head so he could see his lover. "I just want to hear your voice."

Duo rolled his eyes and tossed his book onto the floor, almost hitting his bag with art-equipment. "And you made me read that junk? Honestly, Heero, I should just kick you out of my bed right now."

Heero snorted and put his own book onto the bed, turning around and crawling up and over Duo's body until he was face to face with his lover. "Would you really?"

Duo snorted and pecked Heero's nose before wrapping his arms around his lover's neck. "Don't tempt me. The noise of you falling out of the bed will attract the kids."

Heero let out a small groan before slumping on top of Duo. "Ugh, don't remind me that we're here…"

Duo smirked and gave Heero a nudge. "Well, excuse me for being a mere orphan."

Heero just grunted and burried his face in Duo's neck. "Mgh… When you're 18 I'm taking you away from here. Getting a damn place we can have together…"

Duo raised an eyebrow and shook his head while bringing a hand up to Heero's hair, slowly kneeding his fingers against Heero's scalp. "As lovely as that sounds, babe… We're having a slight problem making that come true. The lack of money."

Heero sighed and closed his eyes. "… Sucks being a teenager…"

Duo chuckled and tilted his head against Heero's. "Now, don't say that. We have our whole lives ahead of us. Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to make that come true one day."

Heero lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe?"

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Duo replied and poked Heero's forehead. "I am being realistic here. I mean, when we're done here, you'll be off somewhere to go to college and I still have no idea what I wanna do."

"Then apply to where I go. Or I can apply to where you go." Sitting up, Heero grabbed Duo's hands and gave them a kiss. "So don't go talking about us being seperated just yet because I'll make sure that-"

Squirming a hand out from Heero's grasp, Duo placed it over Heero's mouth, silencing him. "Heero… Be realistic… Our… Life-goals are a little too different for us to be able to go to the same college… And even if your parents pay for your education… I still don't have much to cash out and no, I am not accepting money from neither you, Quatre or anyone else. I will never be able to pay it back and I refuse to have that kind of debt to anyone."

Heero opened his mouth to speak again before sighing and nodding slowly. "… I… Guess you're right… But… Can we-?"

Duo nodded and smiled before pecking Heero on the lips. "Of course we can look for options, Heero… Because I don't want to lose what we have… And there are many ways we can try and stay together, so even if we don't go the same college, maybe we'll be able to go to colleges that are near each other so we can visit. And even if we go to colleges at different sides of the country, we'll still be able to hook up. Just not as often. And there's always phones, mail, letters. We'll be fine, lover. We will."

Heero nodded again, but this time he smiled ever so slightly. "… You always know what I am thinking…"

Duo chuckled and kissed Heero again. "That's because I was thinking the same thing as you right now…"

Chuckling softly. Heero shook his head before his smile turned a little wider. "… I love you, Duo Maxwell… Do you know that..?"

Duo nodded and smiled lovingly, the arms around Heero's neck tightening ever so slightly. "I know… I love you too…"

"I know…" Returning the loving smile, Heero moved down to press his lips lovingly to Duo's, his arms moving around his lover's waist and tugging him close. He could feel Duo shift underneath him before feeling his legs part so Heero was resting between them.

Smiling lightly into the kiss, Heero deepened the kiss, letting his tongue slip out and run over Duo's lower lip. He could hear Duo part his lip with a sigh and Heero was more than happy to take advantages of the opportunity.

Though the moment was ruined as a knock was heard, making both teens break the kiss and look at the door.

"Crap." Sighing, Duo released Heero from the embrace, sitting up on the bed as Heero crawled off him, both teens trying to look innocent. "I'll make it up to you," he promised before pressing another kiss to Heero's lips before looking back at the door. "Come in."

Helen peaked her head through the door and smiled at the two teens. "Did I disturb anything?"

Duo shook his head and leaned back against the wall. "Nah, not really. We were just studying."

Heero chuckled and whispered a "Thought you didn't lie" into Duo's ear, earning himself a punch to his arm. Chuckling, Heero rubbed the now sore spot on his arm, smirking at his lover who suddenly had gotten red ears.

"Anyway," Duo stated, clearing his throat and looking back at Helen. "Was it something special?"

Helen nodded while stepping into the room, closing the door behind her. "Yes and no. I would like to ask if you can help out tomorrow. Father Maxwell isn't feeling so good and I'd hate to call in extra help. We're already in a tight pinch as it is when it comes to money."

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, sure, I can help."

Helen bit her lip. "… You'll have to skip class tomorrow though… I really hate saying it, especially so close to your exams and everything, but…"

Duo lifted his hand, chuckling and smiling. "Don't worry about it, it's the least I can do. I'll catch up thanks to Heero, he'll write notes for me."

Heero nodded. "At least in the classes we share. I'll ask the others if they can do it in the other classes you have."

Duo nodded and looked back at Helen, who he could swear looked relieved over that fact. "Helen," he asked slowly and got out of bed. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yes," Helen answered and smiled reassuringly, reaching out a hand and patting Duo's shoulder. "Everything is fine. I just don't want to worry Father Maxwell about the orphanage and knowing that you can step in when necessary is very relieving. He has enough on his shoulders already when it comes to this place."

Duo frowned and looked at the woman, placing a hand over the one on his shoulder. "Helen… If the orphanage is in trouble… You will let me know, right? Because I am willing to work and raise money in order to help you guys out. I can quit school and everything if it means I can help out."

"Don't be ridiculous, Duo. You are to finish your education and get yourself a proper job. You are not to work at some unsatisfying 9 to 5 job, you have greater potential than that." Helen gave him a strict look before smiling gently to the braided teen. "Don't worry about it. We have enough to get by and we will continue to get enough money to pay the bills and help the children."

Duo nodded and gave a small smile back, squeezing the hand gently. "… Okay… I'll take your word for it, Helen…"

Helen nodded again and kept the smile up, squeezing the shoulder reassuringly. "You do that. If anything happens, you'll get to know about it."

Duo nodded and murmured a soft "Okay" before following Helen to the door and watched her walk down the hall before she vanished around a corner. He looked a little skeptic about her appearance, but he didn't feel it was in his place to pry. He'd find out sooner or later. Closing the door, Duo returned to the bed, looking deep in thoughts.

"You okay, Duo?"

"Hm?" Looking up at his lover, Duo blinked in confusion a few times before nodding and smiling. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just… Wondered why Helen came over. Think she's hiding something."

Heero tilted his head while furrowing his brows before looking at the door. "… You think? Why should she?"

Duo bit his lip before joining Heero back on the bed, flopping down onto his back before placing his hands on his stomach. Gazing up at the roof, Duo shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe it's nothing, but whatever it is, she is hiding something. But I guess it's none of my business."

Heero nodded while shifting Duo's legs so they were resting over his lap. Then he started massaging them gently. "Don't think about it, Duo. You have enough to worry about and worrying about the orphanage as well isn't going to help you any."

Duo grunted. "Of course I have to worry, it's my home. And the home of a lot of kids."

Heero smiled a little. "You have four friends you can seek refuge with as well as a lover… As for the kids… There are other orphanages they can get a refuge with."

Duo just blew a raspberry, making Heero laugh and raise an eyebrow. "And what's so bad about that?"

Duo grunted, but still offered his lover a smile. "Nothing bad about it, but you made us sound like we're just packs that can be sent around. It's not so dangerous about me, but think of the kids. They'll have to leave their friends and everything." Groaning a little, Duo closed his eyes and shifted so he was laying on his side, back against Heero. "I wish Helen didn't put these thoughts in me… Now I'll worry…"

Heero smiled a little before shifting to lay behind Duo, wrapping his arms around Duo's waist and tugging him close to him. "Don't… She told you not to worry and if the orphanage had been in any type of danger, she would have let you know… So don't think about it, koibito…"

Duo chuckled and tilted his head enough to see Heero. "You really must be trying to make me relax since you call me that…"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me you are unsatisfied with me? That I do not show you enough affection?"

Duo laughed and shook his head, shifting enough so he could wrap his arms around Heero's neck. "Of course you do, Heero. You give me plenty of affection and I am very satisfied with you. It's just that you don't call me koibito unless I am sad or upset. It's like your own secret weapon to make me happy again."

Heero grunted and buried his face in Duo's neck, kissing the creamy neck before simply nuzzling his nose there. "As long you're satisfied with what you have…"

Duo smiled and kissed Heero's temple. "I'm very satisfied, Heero…"

Heero only tightened his arms around Duo as a response of both gratitude and love for the braided teen, making Duo chuckle and tighten his own arms around his lover. "What do you say about just… Laying here for a while?"

Heero grunted and nodded, making Duo smile and close his eyes. "I knew you would like that idea."

Still, even as he relaxed against his lover, there was something gnawing at the pit of his stomach. What was it that Helen was hiding from him? Was Father Maxwell seriously ill? When he thought about it, the energetic man had seemed a bit pale for the last few days, and since he'd been gone for the weekend, Duo had no idea how Father Maxwell was now. He hadn't even seen him all day.

But then again, it could be nothing. Father Maxwell wasn't as young as he had been and a mere cold could probably leave the man in bad shape. And Helen did say that it was nothing to worry about and Duo trusted her to be honest with him when it came to everything that had to do with the orphanage.

Nuzzling his face in Heero's hair, Duo inhaled deeply before deciding that he wouldn't worry about anything until he had reasons to. He would do as Helen had told him and focus on school instead. It wasn't long until they were finished after all.

Kissing Heero's forehead, Duo let his lips linger against the spot he'd just kissed.

Everything would be okay.

He hoped.

xoxoxox

_Author's Notes:_

_XD Am I a tease? Am I mean? I probably am. Reviews are a happy thing. _


	46. Dream

**New Hope Home **

Not to sound like a total attention whore or anything, but it would be nice to know just how many people's still following the story. I'd just like to know how many that's still reading and enjoying my story so I can get my butt in gear and write a lot faster than I have for the last time.

So if everybody who's still reading would drop by a review, then I would be very happy. :3

Also, I am very very sorry for any lack of updates over the last month. My computer decided to crash on me when I was going to reinstall it and I only recently got it back. X.x

xoxoxoxox

"Dream:"

Just like he promised Helen, Duo stayed home from school the next day to help out at the orphanage during Father Maxwell's absence. Heero notified his teachers and he'd promised he'd write good notes for Duo the day before, just before he left.

Worry was still gnawing at the pit of Duo's stomach though, especially since he didn't see Father Maxwell anywhere while he gathered the kids for a trip outside. Helen had told him Father Maxwell was sleeping in his house at the back of the property belonging to the Orphanage and told Duo that none of the kids where to stop by and disturb the man. Duo nodded, understanding and respecting Helen's wish, but in return he had to step on his own toes to prevent himself from taking a trip over to the older man and see if everything was fine.

Duo had taken over Helen's usual job while Helen was taking care of Father Maxwell's usual tasks, namely scheduling for people that wanted to adopt for a visit and the bills among a few things. Duo was satisfied with just dealing with feeding and playing with the kids.

After making sure the kids who were supposed to go to school were sent off with the bus, dressed properly and having remembered their lunch boxes, he started dressing the smaller kids so he could take them to the park where they could play.

Still, Duo wasn't able to enjoy the outing like he usually did. He still played with the kids, but mostly he let them do their own things, settling on the bench and just kept an eye on them while trying his best not to let his thoughts consume him.

Chuckling a bit, Duo fished up his sketchbook and slowly started drawing the children playing by the swings and monkey bars. He didn't even know why he was so worried. People became sick everyday, and Father Maxwell was a very healthy man. Then again, Father Maxwell wasn't the young stallion he once had been.

Chewing at the tip of his pencil, Duo's mind started swirling around as he tried not to think about Father Maxwell dying, barely noticing when one of the children started crying because he'd fallen off the swing. Though as the loud crying reached his ears and pierced through his brain, Duo immediately jumped up and ran towards the crying child, thought momentarily forgotten.

When the kids were brought safely back to the orphanage, the task of feeding all of the people living there was next. Feeding over 30 mouths that all wanted different meals wasn't easy, but a task Duo had done many times before. Besides, most of the kids knew the rules already; you eat what you are served.

Still, as he helped the last kid in line with cutting some cheese, Duo's thoughts went back to Father Maxwell, so after making sure the kids all satisfied, he walked over to the main office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Opening the door, Duo stepped into the office before closing the door after him and glanced up at Helen.

Helen gave him a small smile and nodded. "Duo. What can I do for you?"

"Well," Duo started while fidgeting ever so slightly. "… I just… I wanna know what's wrong with Father Maxwell. I haven't seen him in a while and I'm getting a little worried."

Helen's smile turned a bit smaller before getting up from behind the desk and walked over to the braided teen. "Can you keep a secret, Duo? I don't want the kids here to become scared over nothing."

Duo nodded, feeling a bit nervous as Helen suddenly came over to him. "Of course, Helen. What's the matter?"

Helen sighed a little and leaned against the desk while crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, nothing is the matter except the good Father being sick."

"So you've told me," Duo stared while moving to sit onto the desk, still with his eyes on Helen. "But what's the matter with him? Is it serious?"

Helen shook her head and smiled gently. "No, not as far as we know. The doctor stopped by last night to do a check-up on him. He also took some tests and we're still waiting for the answers on those, but that can take weeks. Anyway, the doctor reckoned that the good Father's just caught himself a virus, there is a lot of it going around now and it is very easy to get it from children."

Duo chuckled a little bit and rubbed his neck. He knew that all to well, most of the time when he'd been sick it had been because he'd gotten something from one of the kids. "So… Just a virus? Nothing serious?"

Helen shook her head. "No, not as far as we know. Just a virus. The good Father isn't as young as he once was so it is natural that a normal virus leaves him a bit weakened, plus he's always stressing around. With some rest then he'll be good as new. I checked on him while you were out with the kids and he was awake, alert, reading a book and barking at me for chaining a busy man as him to the bed."

Duo couldn't help but laugh at that and smiled happily. "Well, that's good news. The way you were last night had me wondering if the Father was dying or something."

Helen gave Duo an apologetic smile before placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry to have worried you, Duo, I really didn't mean for that to happen. It's just that it was late and I was a little worried and tired as well yesterday. I suppose I could have made anything sound worse than what it really was."

Duo chuckled and gave Helen a small nudge. "I'll take your word for it, lady."

Helen chuckled and moved the hand on Duo's shoulder up to his head, ruffling up his bangs. "Look at you… You're so big now…"

Duo chuckled and leaned a little against the older woman. "Getting sentimental, huh? You know you're not supposed to get attached to the kids here…"

"You're an exception, Duo," Helen murmured softly while stroking her hand down over Duo's cheek. "All those families… They have no idea what they're missing each time they let you go… Such a bright, handsome and kind-spirited boy with the voice of an angel and a talent from God…"

Blushing, Duo shifted so his eyes were looking away from Helen. "Don't say that, Helen, you know I'm not that good… I'm average and I am happy to be that."

"You are everything but average, Duo," Helen smiled while running a finger over Duo's forehead and down his cheek. "You're modest, humble…"

"Helen," Duo warned and gave the older woman a look, making her laugh. "Okay, okay, I am sorry, Duo." Then she smiled and gave Duo's hair another ruffle. "But I must say that even though your future looked grim when you got here, you've truly grown up into a wonderful young man… You have good friends and a wonderful lover… Cherish them like you always have…"

Duo nodded and gave Helen a slightly watery smile. "Geez, Helen… You're sounding like I'm going to leave soon…"

Helen chuckled softly and smiled. "Well, as cruel as it sounds, I hope you are. You're 18 soon and you know you have to leave the orphanage and manage on your own."

Duo nodded, still feeling a bit uncomfortable with the thought of leaving the place he'd called home for so many years. "I know, Helen… I know…"

The blonde haired woman nodded before placing a kiss on Duo's forehead and nudged him out. "But that's talk for another time, Duo. I believe you have some chores to do?"

"Huh?" Glancing at the time, Duo yelped and nodded before dashing towards the office door and yanked it up before hurrying down the hall, forgetting to close the door after him. Helen just chuckled and shook her head, walking over to the door and closed it herself. "Yes… You'll be just fine," she murmured softly before walking over to Father Maxwell's desk and sat down to do some more work.

xoxoxoxox

"So everything is okay?"

Duo nodded while munching on some potato-chips, lying on his back on Quatre's bed. "Yup. Everything's just fine, or so they say. Father Maxwell was up and barking out orders like normal when I got home from school today. Aside from looking a bit pale, he seemed very fine."

Heero nodded while continuing to caress his lover's calf. "Well, that's good. You've been angsting about him for three days straight now."

Duo huffed and tossed a chip into Heero's hair. "I wasn't angsting about anybody. I was just a little worried."

Heero just brushed the chip off with his free hand and gave Duo a small teasing smile. Even after the talk with Helen, Duo had been walking around with a worried look on his face. He hadn't been at school for three days straight, having spent all his time helping at the orphanage, and the group was getting worried about him. So when Father Maxwell was up and running when Duo came back from school, after being forced by Helen, it was like all the air went out of the braided teen and he could start relaxing again, and with him the rest of 'The Fallen Angels'.

"Besides, I knew the old man would be back on his feet, he never leaves his post for long. Hell, I think he'll come back and haunt the place if he dies."

Quatre pouted and tossed a pillow at his braided friend. "Duo, don't say things like that. It's macabre!"

Trowa chuckled softly and pulled a slightly sour Quatre onto his lap. "Come on, you know Duo gets a dark sense of humor after being worried about someone he cares. It's his defense-mechanism."

Duo snorted, but he knew Trowa was right. He always got a grim sense of humor after he'd been worried about someone for a long time. "Yeah, yeah, so I'm a little grim. Are we done with the break, I wanna play!"

"We'll play as soon as Hilde comes back," Wufei shot back from his spot on Quatre's desk. "Though why the hell she's using so long just to get her lover…"

Duo chuckled and ate another piece of chips before offering his lover the bag. "You know Hilde, Wu. She's probably having a quick screw with him before they come back here. After all, she hasn't seen him for a week."

Wufei just grunted and watched as Heero took the bag from Duo and helped himself to some chips. "Well, when she's so stupid and choosing a boyfriend that's in another city, then that's her problem."

"At least she has a boyfriend," Quatre shot back, making Duo snicker as Wufei glared at the blond.

"I don't have a boyfriend because I don't want a boyfriend," Wufei barked back, making Duo snicker even more.

"Hey, Wufei… I don't think that's what Quatre meant, buddy."

Wufei blinked and started at Quatre, who grinned and nodded, making the Chinese teen splutter as his face turned red. The rest of the guys just started laughing.

"You're such a prude, Wuffie."

"Shut up, Maxwell! And the name is Wufei, not Wuffie, Wu-man, Wu-bear, but Wufei!!"

"Okay… Wu-" Wufei gave Duo a look that could kill and raised his finger in warning. "-fei," Duo finished lamely and smiled sheepishly.

Heero just snickered and patted Duo's foot. "You tried."

"Should have come upwith something clever, but that look just set me off," Duo sighed dramatically and placed his hand over his eyes. "Defeated by the eyes of justice… Cruel cruel world…"

Wufei snorted and shook his head. "Shut up, Maxwell. Just… Shut up."

Duo just grinned and winked to his Chinese friend. "Shutting up, Wufei. And all just for you."

Wufei just grunted and shook his head, not willing to hand his braided friend another victory.

Shaking his head, Heero got up from his spot on the floor and crawled into the bed, tugging Duo against his body with one arm while the other snatched away the bag with chips. "No more or you'll get hyper."

Duo pouted before snuggling up to Heero, wrapping his arms around his chest. "Mm, then you'll hafta satisfy my cravings…"

"Not in my bed," Quatre called out while tossing one of his t-shirts at his friends. "If you're going to do it, then go somewhere else."

Wufei groaned and buried his face in his hands. "I hang with a bunch of perverts… Buddha, what did I do to deserve this?!"

"You know you love us, 'fei," Hilde called out, grinning as she walked through the door, running a hand through her slightly wet hair. "Sorry that I'm late, guys. My mom was a bitch and didn't want to drive me. Had to run to catch the bus and everything."

Duo smiled and sat up on the bed, Heero's arm still around his waist. "That's okay, Hilde, we were just talking shit anyway."

Hilde nodded before pointing at Trowa. "You're driving me home."

Trowa just nodded, looking a bit confused, but not questioning the decision. Duo just snorted and crawled out of Heero's arms, half-way stopped as Heero's hand grabbed a hold of his shirt and prevented him from leaving the bed. "Heero, come on. Band-practice! We have to start now if we wanna get some practice today."

Heero grunted and gave the shirt a tug. "You made me lay down and I want something worth my while if I'm to get up."

Duo snorted and removed the hand from his shirt, interlacing their fingers together instead. "Come on, you're a part of the band to. You're playing guitar today and everything."

Heero grunted again, but a small smile still tugged on his lips. He'd finally started learning the different grips and after playing one of Duo's favorite Linkin Park songs without much trouble, thougt still having a few wrong grips, he'd earned himself a proper spot in the band. As much as he enjoyed just sitting and listening to his lover and his friends play and sing, it got old after a while. He got restless and the desire to join them grew bigger. 

Still… He was very comfortable right now.

"And?"

Duo raised an eyebrow while Quatre started snickering. "His services ain't cheap, Duo. You'll hafta offer something better."

"Umm…" Duo scratched his head with his free hand while the other continued to tug at Heero's. "… How about a kiss?"

Heero grinned and used his elbow to prop his upper body up from the bed. "Now you're starting to talk."

Wufei snorted and smirked while crossing his arms. "You're selling yourself that cheap, Heero?"

Heero smirked and sat up completely, releasing his lover's hand so he could wrap his arms around Duo's waist and tug him close. "I'm not selling myself cheap, Chang. Duo's kisses are just that good," he murmured, the smirk softening as Duo wrapped his arms around his neck and nuzzled his neck.

"I'll take your word for it," Wufei quipped while getting up from his spot and walked towards the door. "Well… Are you guys coming or not? We don't have all day, I have to be home by nine!"

Hilde snickered while stretching her arms into the air. "Mmmmgh! You still have a curfew, Wu?"

Wufei grunted and used a foot to nudge her side, making her squeal and hunch over. "No, but I do have homework to take care off and a dog that needs a walk."

Duo snickered while tugging Heero off from the bed and onto his feet, then yelping as Heero turned him around and stuffed his hands into his back pockets, groping him. "Gah, Heero! Hands to yourself!"

Heero just smirked before using his own body to push Duo forward, his hands still buried in Duo's back pockets. "Band practice, Duo. Let's go."

"Hey, come on," Duo protested, squirming so much that Heero removed his hands, grabbed a hold around Duo's waist instead and promptly hauled him over his shoulder.

"Band practice. Now," Heero deadpanned and proceeded to go to the music-room, followed by a group of laughing teens while carrying a pouting Duo.

Things were getting back to normal.

"You're coming later, right?" Walking down the halls of the school with, hand entwined with his lover's.

Heero nodded and squeezed the hand. "As soon as I'm done with my chores and have given dad a lift to the hospital."

Duo nodded and placed his head on Heero's shoulder. "Great. Can't get through the finals without you, man. I need you now."

Heero chuckled and shook his head. "Duo, the finals are still weeks away. Same goes for the exams. You are doing great in class so far and you'll do just fine as long as you continue to work."

Duo chuckled and grinned. "Ah, but I'll still need you, hon. You make me focus. Besides, you give me such delicious rewards."

Snorting, Heero gave Duo a nudge before tugging him closer for a kiss. "You'll be fine… Just do your own chores and I'll come around six so we can study together… Then, when we're done, I'll take you out, we'll have a nice dinner and then we'll just enjoy the rest of the time together before we have to part."

"Sounds good, except that parting bit," Duo mused, giving Heero a loving smile. Heero chuckled and raised Duo's hand high enough to kiss it. "Go home, Duo. You're done for today and I still have one hour math to deal with."

Duo chuckled and nodded before stealing a last kiss from his lover. "Okay, okay, I'll see you later, babe. I'll miss you."

Heero chuckled and shook his head before releasing Duo's hand. "And I'll miss you. Now go. And locate your damn phone before Quatre gets a stroke, he almost freaked when you didn't answer his message earlier."

"Yes, dear," Duo grinned and winked before waving to Heero and started on the way home. Things were really picking up now and Duo had to pinch himself in order to make sure it wasn't a dream. His grades were picking up thanks to Heero helping him with his studying, his relationship with Heero was perfect and he was starting to see a brighter future when it came to college. Hell, even Relena had backed down for some reason and while he still got some angry glares from the girl, he hadn't gotten a sour comment from her in weeks.

Things were just perfect.

Whistling, Duo stuck one hand into his pocket while the other one grasped more tightly at his bag to prevent it from sliding down his shoulder. The sun was peeking out from behind some white clouds, warming up the area. The last of the snow was starting to melt away as well and Duo could see small areas with green grass here and there. It was spring.

Smiling, Duo picked up the pace as he neared the orphanage, then stopped as he felt that something was off. Frowning a little, he walked over to the fence that surrounded the orphanage and looked inside.

Not a kid was in sight.

Raising his eyebrow, Duo lifted his hand and checked the watch strapped around his wrist, seeing that it was barely after four. "That's strange," he mumbled while walking to the gate and pushed it open, making sure to close it properly after himself. "Kids should be out now, ain't dinner before five…"

Walking up to the main building, Duo saw that the door to the orphanage was open. Getting more worried, he ran up to the building and inside it, stopping when he saw that all the employees were standing in the main hall. Blinking, Duo looked around before his eyes landed on Helen, who was crying.

"H-Helen? What's going on," he started, taking a step forward while letting his bag fall to the floor. "Where are all the kids? And the Father? What's happened?"

Helen sniffled a little and swallowed heavily, drying her eyes with a napkin. The others looked at her before backing away, looking just as upset as she did.

"Oh, Duo," she murmured before placing her hands on his shoulders. "Duo… I… I tried calling you, but you forgot your phone…I… Oh, Duo…"

Duo swallowed heavily and gently removed Helen's hands from his shoulders, taking them in his instead. "Helen? What's happened?"

Inhaling deeply, Helen looked Duo into the eyes before answering in a low voice. "Duo… It's the Father… He's… He's dead… He suffered a stroke while you were in school and… The ambulance personal came quickly, but he died on his way to the hospital…"

Duo's eyes widened. It felt like the air had been knocked out of him and he felt his knees giving in. "You… You're kidding, right? Right? This is a joke, right?"

Helen shook her head before she choked back a sob. "… I'm afraid not, Duo… But… There's more and… I've sent the kids with some of the assistants here and… We, the staff have been talking and… A lawyer will come by later, the damn vultures and…" Sniffing heavily, she tugged Duo into a firm hug, placing a hand into Duo's hair while the other was placed around his shoulders. "Duo, you're the oldest one here out of all the kids and… We've agreed that we want you with us during the meeting… We want you to hear everything… I am so sorry, Duo… So sorry."

Duo didn't say anything. He just stood there, watching as the dream suddenly crumbled and started falling apart around him

Father Maxwell… Was dead.

xoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: _

_Ugh, this was one hard chapter to write and even harder to end. Yeah, it's… Kind off another cliff-hanger, but if I continued to write, then the chapter would be real long and turn out real crappy. I'll try and post the newest chapter real soon, I promise!_


	47. Wings of an Angel

**New Hope Home**

Wow, I… I didn't imagine that so many people still followed the story. Lemme just… gets down on her knees and bows for you all Thank you all for letting me know that you're still following the story, it means so much to me. Thank you so much for your patience and lovely comments!

I'll try and get my ass in gear when it comes to writing, it's just hard since school and work takes up a lot of my time. If I get my way, I'll try to update a bit faster before school kicks in big time. … No promises though, I am afraid.

This chapter was… Scarily easy to write. I am sure that many people that follows the story has lost a loved one, and I am no exception. Not very long ago, I lost several members of my family, some I didn't know very well and others I held very dear to me. Duo's feelings is based on my own feelings while Heero is based on the insecurity of the friends around me as I grieved.

Enjoy.

bows head in respect for the deceased Father Maxwell 

xoxoxoxox

"Wings of an Angel:"

After dropping off his father at the hospital, getting used to these silent drives by now, Heero started driving towards the Orphanage. His mother had allowed him to use the car for the day since both she and her husband was working late shifts.

He was really looking forward to spending a day just being with Duo, ever since March rolled around they'd been busy with tests and projects in school. They'd also dedicated a whole weekend just to apply for different colleges around the USA, doing their very best to apply for schools that were close to each other. That way, they could at least see each others during holidays and weekends.

Pulling up outside the Orphanage, Heero got out of the car and grabbed his bag. Opening the gates to the area, he frowned and looked around. Usually there were children playing outside now. Checking the time in case it was later than he thought, he shook his head. It was just after six and the kids usually got sent outside for a little while after dinner.

"Maybe they've been taken to the park," he mumbled to himself, shrugging as he walked towards the main building. Still, he had a feeling that wasn't the case.

His suspicions were confirmed as he walked up to the main building and spotted the half-open front door. Running the rest of the way, Heero pushed the door open and stopped in the hallway. Most of the children's jackets and shoes were gone, indicating that they were not here, but there were several pairs of shoes belonging to adults by the door. Frowning some, Heero walked inside, then blinked as he saw two guys sitting on the couch, trying to comfort a crying Helen.

"Helen?"

Jerking her head up, Helen sniffed some before offering a small smile. "Heero… I… I am sorry, but… This is not a good time… Not a good time at all…"

Heero just looked at her before gesturing to the living room. "What's… What's going on here? Where's all the kids?"

Helen sniffed again before getting up from the couch. Blowing her nose in a napkin, she disposed of it into an already filled plastic bag before walking over to the Japanese teen. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she offered a watery smile before answering in a hoarse voice. "Heero… You… Tragedy has struck and… Oh, I am not able to explain, not now… But…" Swallowing heavily, she looked over at the other employees before nodding and looking back at Heero. "Heero… You should go to Duo… He's in his room, he'll explain everything to you…"

Heero hesitated before nodding and licking over sudden dry lips. "Okay… Thank you…"

Helen just offered the same watery and sad smile before returning back to the others, letting out a half-choked sob as she sat down.

Heero on the other hand hurried down the hall and over to Duo's room. The door was ajar and when he carefully nudged it up, the first thing that met him was darkness. Squinting some, Heero waited a few seconds until his eyes had adjusted to the darkness before stepping inside the room. "Duo?"

Nobody answered, but Heero could see a black figure sitting on Duo's bed, motionless. Heero could barely hear his lover breathe, he was that quiet.

"Duo?"

Stepping fully into the room, Heero looked down as he heard a crushing sound, the sound similar to when you curl up a piece of paper into a ball. Nudging the many paper balls that were scattered around on the floor, Heero looked back up while his hand moved to find the light switch so he could turn on the light. He winced some as the light came on, but the figure on the bed didn't seem to react to the sudden light that filled the small room.

Looking at the window, Heero could now see that Duo had used a blanket to cover over the window in his room. The teen had obviously wanted to close everything out, even the light. Looking back at the figure on the bed, Heero slowly moved over to him, his hand stretched out. "Duo…"

Duo didn't respond, he kept looking at the bedsheets from his spot at the head of the bed, knees tugged up and tucked underneath his chin while his arms was wrapped tightly around his legs.

Sitting down onto the bed, Heero placed a careful hand on Duo's shoulder. He didn't want to startle the teen as it looked like he was in his own world. He also noticed that every single one of the drawings that once decorated Duo's bedroom walls was gone and he didn't have to guess twice in order to know just were they were. He tossed another glance at the rolled up sheets of paper on the floor before looking back at his lover. "Duo… Duo, please talk to me…"

"He's gone…"

Heero blinked some and looked at Duo, moving a bit closer to his lover so they were sitting side by side on the bed, his back resting against the head of the bed. "Who's gone?"

"He was just here," Duo murmured, still keeping his eyes fixed on the other side of the bed. "I told him good morning when I left today… I… I laughed and teased him… Called him old man… And now he's gone…" Finally moving some, Duo turned his head and stared at Heero, his eyes red and puffy, and his cheeks carrying the evidence that he'd been crying. "… He's gone, Heero… He's gone…"

"Duo..?" Still not quite understanding, or not believing, Heero placed his arm around his lover and tugged him closer. "What's… Going on?"

Duo sniffed some and his breathing got a little shaky, like he was trying to suppress something at the back of his throat. "…Father, he… He…" Not able to hold it back, Duo let out a chocked sob before latching himself to Heero. His arms wrapped themselves tightly around Heero's shoulders and Heero knew he was going to get bruises from it, and Duo's face got buried into his neck. He could already feel the warm dampness from tears.

Wrapping his arms around his lover, Heero tugged him into his lap and hugged him close. "… Duo…"

"He's dead!! Father's dead!!" Crying heavily into Heero's shoulder, his shoulders shaking from the force, Duo let all of his sorrow come right back to the surface, pouring out everything onto his lover. "He's gone!! He… He died from a heart attack while I was in school!! I… Why did I forget my phone today, 'ro?! Why?! Why him?!"

Heero whinced a little as his lover attached himself to him, then gasped as he realized just what Duo was talking about, but deep inside, he had already know.

"Duo…"

Wrapping his arms tightly around his lover, Heero tugged him as close as he could get him, ignoring the death grip Duo had on him. "Duo… I'm… I'm so sorry…"

Duo just shook his head and continued to sob heavily, soaking Heero's shirt with hot, salty tears. "He's dead, 'ro… He's gone and ain't comin' back no more…"

Stroking his hand over Duo's head, Heero placed a small kiss to the teens temple before murmuring softly. "He… He was old, love… I… I guess it was his time… He'd done a lot of good for many people, for many kids, so he could leave with no regrets…"

Duo sniffed and punched his hand angrily against Heero's shoulder. Pulling away, he used the same hand to dry off his face, giving Heero an upset glare. "Don't say he was fucking old, it doesn't change anything!! What if… What if you had like… A suitcase or something?! What would you rather have?! An old, comfortable suitcase filled with memories, stories and dreams, or a freakin' new and empty suitcase?!"

Blinking some from the sudden anger, Heero just stared at his lover, but he didn't release his grip any. "Duo, I…"

"Just… Just don't say that he was fucking old! It doesn't change anything, it doesn't help any! The pain is still there, 'ro! The pain…" Screwing up his face again, Heero watched as new tears made their way over Duo's already tear-stained cheeks. "It still hurts, 'ro… Old or young… The pain's still the same…"

Heero nodded, realizing that he'd said something stupid. "I… I am sorry, love… I… I didn't mean it like that… I just wanted to comfort you…"

Duo nodded and swallowed heavily, looking at Heero with watery eyes. "I know, Heero… I… Know… Sorry for barking at you, I just…" Placing a hand over his chest, Duo closed his eyes again. "… It just hurts so much, you know… I… He was like the parent I never had… He was there for me no matter what, supporting me, making me safe…"

Heero nodded before using a hand to dry Duo's cheeks gently. "… I… I know he meant a lot to you and nobody can take his place, but… You have me now as well, Duo… I… I wanna help make you safe and support you as much and for as long as I can…"

Duo sniffed and looked at Heero, using a hand to rub his eyes. "…"

Heero smiled a little, but it was a small, sad smile. "… I know that… I can't give you much… Not now… But… Maybe someday… I can give you more… But for now… I want you to know that… That I wanna be there for you… As much as I can… I wanna be able to give you love and support… And safety…"

"Heero…" Sniffing heavily, Duo swallowed some before once again hugging himself to his lover with his arms and legs. "I love you, 'ro… I love you so freakin' much… Don't ever leave me the same fucking way, okay?"

"Okay…" Heero nodded and hugged Duo close to him, nuzzling his neck some. "Okay…"

Duo nodded as well before mumbling against Heero's neck. "Come with me, 'ro… When Helen's going to talk to me… Come with me, I don't wanna be alone…"

"Of course," Heero replied and kissed Duo's neck. "I'll be with you for as long as you want me to…"

Sniffing heavily again, Duo remained pressed up against Heero until the Japanese teen gently lowered them down onto the bed. Refusing to let his lover go, Duo remained on top of him, curling up some to get comfortable. "… Lemme know if I get heavy…"

"I don't care if you get heavy," Heero replied and placed one hand at the small of Duo's back, the other one gently stroking him over his back. "You need this… You need me… That's all I know, all I care about… Stay for as long as you see fit…"

Duo nodded and placed a grateful kiss against Heero's tear-soaked neck. "… Thank you, 'ro…"

Heero just shook his head and nuzzled Duo's hair. "… There's no need to thank me… Just relax and rest some… Then we'll talk more…"

Duo nodded again and closed his eyes, a lone tear making its way over his cheek as he did so. "Okay… Later…"

Not very surprised when Duo fell asleep on top of him, the stress and shock had probably made him exhausted, Heero gently started easing his way from underneath his lover. Duo stirred some and made weak grunting-noises as Heero wiggled his way free, but he didn't wake up.

Stroking his hand tenderly over Duo's cheek, Heero placed a kiss to his forehead before quietly leaving the room. Walking down the hall, not liking the eerie silence in the orphanage at all. He was used to the noise of kids when he was here and he missed it.

Stepping back into the main room, Heero stopped by the door and just stared at Helen. It took a few minutes before Helen noticed Heero's eyes on her, and when she did, she made a startled noise as she turned. "Oh! Oh, Heero… I didn't see you there…"

"He's asleep," Heero replied, his voice showing no emotions.

"Who?" Helen blinked in surprise before nodding and lowering her eyes to the floor. "Ah, right… Duo… He's asleep now? That's… That's good… He… He didn't say anything when I told him, he just went to his room and sat down onto the bed… Didn't move at all… Didn't cry… Showed no emotions… Oh, Heero…"

Heero didn't say anything, he simply took a step towards the woman and reached out his hand. Hesitating for just a second, Heero placed it on Helen's shoulder before murmuring softly. "… What will happen now?"

Sniffing some, Helen looked up from the floor and stared into Heero's worried eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

Heero hesitated again before repeating the question. "… The orphanage… What will happen now that Father Maxwell is gone?"

Letting out a small bitter chuckle, Helen shook her head. "… You're never one to beat around the bush, are you? … Even during time of grief…"

"I-," Heero started before shaking his head and looked down onto the floor, his long bangs hiding his face. "… I am sorry… It's just…"

"I know…" Helen murmured before gesturing for Heero to follow her. Nothing was said between them, he didn't even raise an eyebrow as Helen opened the door to Father Maxwell's office and motioned for him to enter. He didn't sit down though, neither did Helen. Instead, they kind of just watched each other in silence for a few minutes, neither one of them wanting to start the conversation.

"Heero… You're a bright boy and I know that you will understand…"

Heero frowned and looked away from the woman, not really wanting to hear it. "The orphanage will be closed."

"No no," Helen protested, then bit her lip and placed a hand against the side of her neck, her fingertips gently scratching behind her neck. "That is…" Sighing, she shook her head while placing her free arm over her chest, her hand resting against the other one. "… The lawyers are vultures… Not even two hours after Father Maxwell was declared dead at the hospital, they called me and asked for a meeting to discuss the future of this property…"

Heero crossed his arms over his chest and glanced back at the woman, leaning back against the wall as he listened. "Are there none that can take over the role as the leader in the orphanage?"

Helen sighed and shook her head. "No… There's none of us that is fit for the role… You have to be accepted as a proper care-taker of the children and that you are fit for such a task. Being a helper is bad enough, but a leader as well..? And then there's the issue of money… The leader has to raise money, talk with the companies that donates money and convince them to keep on funding us and… It's a huge task… And it was a task that Father Maxwell handled all on his own…"

Rubbing her eyes with her hand, Helen sniffed some before looking at Heero. "… One of the funders will most likely back away… They've been at Father Maxwell's throat ever since they found out that he keeps recorded videos videos of the children… They feel it's… Wrong. Perverted. They cannot see how it can be used to help future parents that wish to adopt one of our children…"

Heero nodded slowly and looked towards the other people that worked here. They were huddled together on the couch inside the living room, talking quietly with each other.

"So the future looks grim..?"

Helen sighed and shrugged. "That depends…Maybe we can get someone else to take over the role Father Maxwell had, but as for any of the employees here now… None of us are fit for that role. Father Maxwell had experience with children at the church orphanage in the past so he was granted the premise to start this orphanage, but none of us have that experience…"

Shaking her head, Helen gestured for Heero to come into the kitchen with her. Heero pushed himself away from the wall and followed, but he didn't sit down by the large table when Helen did. He preferred to stand. Helen didn't say anything on it either, she just placed her elbows onto the table before covering her face with her hands.

"… But it's no doubt that no matter what happens, changes will happen… The new chief of the orphanage, if we get one, will probably make a lot of changes to make the orphanage into the kind of place he or she wants… The kids will notice the change and… Duo will definitely get the blow…"

Looking at Helen with slightly wide eyes, Heero walked over to the table and sat down on top of it. "… What… Do you mean with that?"

Helen sighed and closed her eyes, though Heero couldn't see that since her hands were covering her face. "… What I mean is… Duo will be eighteen in just a month… And by law, he's a legal adult… Which means that… No matter what happens here… Duo will be kicked out…"

Heero swallowed heavily as he listened to Helen speak, feeling his hands curl into tight fists. "…"

The worst part was that she was right. If the orphanage closed, the kids would be moved to other locations, but Duo… Being the oldest and almost 18, he would probably be stuck into a nearby orphanage before being kicked out the second he was 18… And if "New Hope Home" got a new administration, the same would happen there. Father Maxwell knew of Duo's hopes and wishes and had long ago promised that Duo could stay until he started college, but anybody new didn't know that…

The new administration could be nice, but in the eyes of the law and the rules of an orphanage Duo was someone that cost a lot of money to provide for, and his braided lover would probably be disposed of the second they could. After all, it didn't do any good to tend to a teen longer than necessary.

"… So Duo will… Be homeless?"

Helen sniffed and removed her hands from her face, drying away the fresh tears that made their way down her cheeks. "… Yes… Most likely… Oh, if it was up to me, then I'd let him stay. I would even take him with me home, but I have barely room enough for myself…"

Heero bit his lip and nodded, looking away from the crying woman. "… He'll be fine. He has me."

Helen sniffed heavily and nodded, giving Heero a watery smile. "I know… And he is lucky to have you… But… Nothing is for certain just yet… And there is no point in thinking about it yet either… I… Just want to grieve the loss of a dear friend now… I don't wanna think about anything else…"

Heero nodded, understanding Helen's needs. He'd felt the same way when Odin had died, only he hadn't been allowed to grieve because of his father.

Taking his lower lip between his teeth, he chewed on it while looking down at the floor. "… So when will… Things be settled?"

Helen sniffed and shrugged. "It'll happen little by little… The first meeting with the lawyers is tomorrow…Then there's the preparations for the funeral… And then we'll be meeting with the Father's own lawyer… Oh, Heero, there's so much to do… So so much…"

Heero nodded before glancing over at Helen. Slowly, he slid down from the table and moved to stand behind the young woman. Taking her hand in his, he tugged her up from the chair before wrapping his arms around the woman. "… I am so sorry, Helen… I truly am…"

Helen made a surprised sound before she started crying heavily again, wrapping her arms tightly around Heero's neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "Oh, Heero! Oh, I can't believe he's gone!"

Heero closed his eyes while stroking her back, feeling a bit awkward about being the one to comfort Helen, but figured that it was such a small thing to be able to do.

But the one that really needed him was the teen sleeping in his room.

A teen that had stolen his heart and given Heero his own.

Heero wouldn't let him down.

xoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: Phew, this took longer than I thought it would! I am so sorry about lack of updates, I have just been very busy with school. X.x Have way many exams going on soon as well as so many damn assignments. Ugh, I long for summer…_

_Well, hope it was acceptable anyway!_


	48. Come With Me

New Hope Home

**New Hope Home**

… I am SO sorry for the delay, but school and work has just completely taken over my life. Most days when I come home, I'm to tired to even play any computer or video games… X.x

But… I'd rather be really slow and write good chapters than rush my story and make it horrible. So… Thank you all for your patience and I hope you will enjoy the next chapter.

"Come With Me:"

Duo didn't show up at school for the next week after the unforeseen death of Father Maxwell. If it was because he was still grieving, if it was because he didn't want sympathy from his friends or because he was busy at the Orphanage nobody knew. Heero guessed it was a mix off all three reasons.

Heero had stopped by everyday to help his lover, but he'd mostly ended up watching his lover help the kids with their homework, helping the staff with dinner and cleaning, and accompanying him when Duo took the kids out.

The lawyers had, as Helen has predicted, showed up no less than two days after the Father's death to discuss the future of the orphanage. Helen was fighting tooth and nail to keep the center open, using all her contacts to try and find a suitable replacement, but so far she'd come up empty handed.

All in all, things were looking grim. Everyday a new child was transferred to another orphanage. Everyday there were tears and sorrow as friends had to leave each other.

And each time Duo was there, hugging and kissing every child that left, wearing a brave and warm smile.

And every time Heero had to take Duo into his arms as soon as they were alone to comfort his lover. He didn't ask any questions when his braided lover buried his face against Heero's shoulder and cried silently, his shoulders shaking and his hands clenching at Heero's shirt.

Eventually Duo's own hope started fading and he started packing up his belongings. Everyday Heero was there, something more that belonged to his lover was gone, packed into a suitcase or a box. He knew what Duo was thinking, knew what he was fearing each time Heero looked into his eyes.

Heero was determined to prevent that from happening.

xoxoxoxox

"Otou-san, I want him to live here."

Heero was surprised, and a little impressed, that Mr. Yuy managed to prevent himself from choking on the sip of coffee he'd just taken from his cup.

"… Could you repeat that?"

"I want Duo to live here with us," Heero repeated while crossing his arms over his chest. "He's too proud to pick up on Quatre's offer, he doesn't want to be pampered with. But I think I can convince him to come here and stay with us. At least until over the summer, before college starts."

"Are you mad," Mr. Yuy barked and glared. "I will not have that… That boy living in my house!"

Heero couldn't help but roll his eyes a little. He'd hoped that they had come to an understanding the last time they had their… Talk, but he guessed that he was wrong.

"Otou-san, do we have to do this again," he mumbled, glaring back at his father. "I think you owe him this much. You said that you would try and accept him! Accept us! This is your damn chance to prove it."

Mr. Yuy got up from his chair and started pacing, mumbling something in Japanese under his breath as he walked. Heero was surprised that steam wasn't coming out of his ears.

The silence was deafening, only broking by the sound of Mr. Yuy's steps and the noise made by Mrs. Yuy who was preparing dinner in the kitchen.

After a while, Mr. Yuy stopped, crossing his arms over his chest while looking towards the muted TV. "… I am not comfortable with the idea of having a… Homosexual in my house," he said slowly.

"Otou-san," Heero replied slowly and raised an eyebrow. "… I am a homosexual. You have lived with one for quite a while now."

"… That is not the same," Mr. Yuy mumbled, but he still took a step away from Heero. Heero guessed it was done subconsciously and choose not to say anything. Instead, he simply leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

"And the difference is? I cannot see the problem. He is my boyfriend and he's in trouble. I bet if he was a girl, you'd drag her in here without a second thought," he replied instead. "Besides, I think you owe him this much. You owe me this."

Mr. Yuy was about to open his mouth when Mrs. Yuy broke the silence. "He is right, you know."

Both Heero and Mr. Yuy blinked in surprise as they both stared at the woman in the door opening, drying her hands with a towel while looking back at them with a firm look.

"Oka-san?"

"Mishka?"

Mrs. Yuy just folded the towel together before answering. "I say that Heero is right, dear. You do owe them both this."

Mr. Yuy blinked again before opening his mouth to speak, only to be silenced as Mrs. Yuy lifted her hand. "No. I will not let you protest on this, Hisoka. I have been silent about this for far too long." Shaking her head, she gave Heero a small smile. "… I should have done this sooner…"

Heero just blinked before nodding at his mother, giving her a small, grateful smile in return.

Mr. Yuy just growled under his breath before fixing a strict look at Mrs. Yuy. "I repeat… I will not have that boy in my house."

"Our house," Mrs. Yuy corrected and glared at her husband. "And if you don't like it then you can sleep somewhere else. Heero is my son, he is in a very healthy relationship with a sweet boy named Duo and I will let Duo stay here when he obviously needs it!" Mr. Yuy started to open his mouth, but Mrs. Yuy cut him off before he could even start. "End of discussion!"

Then she turned around and marched back into the kitchen, leaving both Heero and Mr. Yuy standing with their mouths open. Heero had… Never seen his mother so… Firm before.

Mr. Yuy looked like he wanted to say something in protest, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he shook his head and walked silently towards his office.

Heero couldn't help a small smirk before he started walking towards the stairs.

Convincing his parents to let Duo stay here wasn't the hardest part about his idea. Now came the challenge of making his lover bloody accept the damn offer.

"No, Heero, I can't do that!"

Heero let out a small, frustrated sigh as he watched Duo pack up more off his books into boxes. The room was strangely cold and empty now, all the drawings and pictures that once decorated the walls were now gone. All that was left was a clean desk, a slightly messy bed and a half-empty closet.

"Duo, where do you plan on going? You don't have a job so you can't rent a place, you're to(o) stubborn to let us help you pay for an apartment… All that there's left is having you live with one of us." Walking up to Duo from behind, Heero wrapped his arms around Duo's waist before pulling him close to his body. "And you know that… I'd love to have you around me…" he added in a quite voice, though mentally he added 'for the possible short time that we have left…' to the sentence.

Duo just sighed and looked over his shoulder, looking at Heero with a sad look. "Because you know I can't take it… It'll feel like I am bargin' in, you know… You know that me and your dad, we're barely okay with each other… And to stay with you for so long and… No, it just doesn't feel right to me…"

"What feels so bad about it? Can't you think about it like a very long sleep-over? You're there a lot anyway," Heero replied, frowning a little bit. "And you know I want you there…"

Duo sighed some again before turning around and looked at Heero. The loss of the father was clearly visible on the young teen's face. He looked paler, with dark rings under his eyes and with a general sad look over his face, even when he tried to smile.

"Heero… I… I would be mooching off you and you know it and… I can't do that, you know that… And… You know the deal with your dad and…"

Heero shook his head and placed a finger against Duo's lips. "Hon… You are repeating yourself now. Shush." Duo just blinked before nodding slowly, making Heero slowly remove his finger from his mouth. "Now… Tell me honestly… One good reason why you should not move in here for the time we have left."

Duo flinched a little before leaning against Heero, sighing heavily against his shoulder while wrapping his arms around his lover's chest. "That…"

Heero blinked a little and looked down at Duo while wrapping his own arms around him. "What..?"

Duo sighed again and closed his eyes, just resting heavily against Heero's body, his hand grasping at Heero's shirt. "The time we have left… Heero… The year is almost over, we'll soon be in over our heads with exams and shit… Then there's summer… And the summer will be used to getting ready for college and moving and…" Duo trailed off and his grip on Heero's shirt tightened.

Heero fell silent as well before nodding slowly, bringing a hand up to Duo's head before burying his fingers into Duo's thick hair. "… Don't you think that… Instead of thinking about that… We should grasp what we have..? Use the time that is left, live it fully, no regrets…"

Duo nodded weakly and looked up at Heero, his eyes a bit misty. "I know and… And that is what I want as well, 'Ro, but… I'm just afraid that'll hurt even more and…"

Shaking his head, Heero placed his finger against Duo's lips, silencing him. "Don't think about that… Think about now. Here and now."

Duo opened his mouth to speak again before nodding slowly and giving Heero a small smile. "You're right… It's about now… About the time we have left…"

Heero smiled and kissed Duo's forehead before moving his lips down over his face until lips met lips. "That's my Duo," he whispered softly and smiled against Duo's lips. "So will you be staying with me…?"

Duo nodded slowly after a few seconds and brushed his lips back over Heero's own lips. "Aye… As long as you have it cleared with your folks… I don't wanna be intruding or anything…"

Heero smirked a little and nodded as he tugged Duo closer against him, his hands finding their way down to Duo's hips. "Want a written confirmation that you are welcome to stay with us?"

"Signed by both parents, please," Duo replied while snickering.

Heero chuckled as well before silencing his lover with another, deeper kiss before pulling back, smiling calmly at him. "I've missed that…"

Duo blinked and tilted his head, giving Heero a curious look. "Missed what?"

"Your smile…" Heero replied while using a hand to gently brush Duo's bangs away from his face. "You laughing… I've missed it…"

Duo's eyes widened a little before he nodded slowly, burying his face in Heero's neck. "… I have been a bit… Silent lately, haven't I..?"

"You haven't been yourself at all," Heero murmured while holding Duo close, burying his face in his lover's hair before inhaling deeply. "Silent… Depressed… Mourning… And I couldn't do a thing to make you feel better…"

Duo shook his head some, but kept his face hidden in Heero's neck. "No, 'ro… You did help me… Just by being there… Just knowing that you and the guys where there… You have no idea how much that helped me, hon… No idea…"

"I still wish I could do more," Heero whispered into Duo's hair, holding the teen even closer, feeling how his arms tightened around the thin body. He was afraid that he would crush him if he continued to tighten his grip. "I wish that…"

"Just hold me," Duo whispered back as fresh tears popped out from his eyes. "Just hold me… And don't let me go…"

"Never," Heero whispered back, feeling something prickle behind his own eyelids. "Never…"

_Author's Notes: _

_That… Took me a long time to write. I am so sorry about it, but life has been a bit rough with me and I don't want my stories to suffer for it. It's a… Binding chapter so I promise you that the next one will be a bit easier to write and should be out much faster._

_Unless school kills me in the meantime. -.-_

_Enjoy!_


	49. Last Good Bye

**New Hope Home**

I am sure that quite many of you have started to think that this story is dead and forgotten, but far from. I've just been through a rough time in real life that killed every ounce of will and inspiration. Rather than coughing up something half-ass, I decided to let the story sleep for a while as I recovered from the drama and regain some of my former love for writing.

I am far from well still, but I've started to regain some of the glow that I used to have. This chapter and your reviews will tell me if I should continue to let the story sleep some or if I am actually fit for battle once again. Your reviews and responses have always meant the world to me and will continue to mean the world to me.

Sorry for the long wait. Here's the next chapter. I hope it's an enjoyable read.

***

"Last Good Bye:"

Fastening the tie around his neck, making sure that it was properly fixed, Heero looked over his ever-messy hair before glancing to the side out of the corner of his eyes.

Duo was sitting on his bed, silent as always, slowly brushing his hair while staring emptily into the air.

He had been like that most of the day, not that Heero could blame him.

After all, today was the day Father Maxwell was to be buried.

After moving out of the orphanage and into Heero's home, Duo slowly started to come around. He began relaxing a bit, smiling, slowly turning back to his own self. He was still in pain that much Heero knew. He knew that Duo missed the Orphanage and that he hated to see the place close down. The building was empty now, it just served as a reminder of what had once been. The children were spread all over the state, but today… Today most of the children would be together again, to honor the man that gave them a second chance to happiness.

It was tough, a heavy burden to carry. As the oldest, Duo had been asked to speak a few words during the ceremony. Duo had accepted, but Heero knew that it would be extremely tough for his lover.

Looking at Duo, Heero noted to himself just how his lover was carrying himself. The usually pale face seemed to be completely drained of color, the usually lively eyes now holding sorrow in them. They were slightly red and puffy, and Heero knew that Duo had been crying a little. He was already dressed up in a black suit and even his shirt was black. The jacket was resting next to him on the bed, next to Heero's own white jacket. Heero felt a bit off, knowing he would be the only one wearing white, but he'd been brought up with white being the color of sorrow and death.

Walking over to the bed, Heero sat down next to Duo and slowly took the brush out of his hands. "Let me," he murmured softly when Duo looked at him before waiting. Duo hesitated before nodding ever so slightly and turned his head again so Heero could work on his hair.

Gently separating the long strands of hair, Heero split them into three equal parts before braiding them together. "It's a nice day today," he said quietly, careful to loosen his grip as Duo nodded. "Seems like even the weather wants to give Father Maxwell a decent good bye."

Duo nodded again while glancing out the window, not saying anything.

Heero sighed some before finishing the braid, using an elastic to fasten the braid before simply wrapping his arms around Duo's shoulders, hugging him close to himself. "Love," he whispered in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "Duo… Father Maxwell wouldn't have wanted to see you like this… Seeing you so quiet and…"

"What am I supposed to do," Duo mumbled and looked down onto his own hands. "Go on my merry way and live life?" Turning his head, he glanced at Heero from the corner of his eyes. "Heero… The man raised me as a son. Even as I messed up and managed to get kicked out of home after home… He never gave up on me. He fed me, gave me a place to stay and

educated me… Heero, I owe the man my life… Him and Helen… For fuck's sakes, Heero… They are basically my parents. Father Maxwell he… He was basically my father."

Watching as the cobalt eyes filled up with unshed tears, Heero slowly pulled Duo around before embracing him tightly, letting his lover bury his face into his neck. "I know," he whispered and kissed Duo's temple. "I know… He was your everything… I know…"

"I can't believe he's gone," Duo moaned in a low, hoarse voice. "Just… Sounds so surreal, even now… Expecting Helen to just call me up and say it was all a horrible joke…"

Heero nodded slowly while stroking his hand slowly over Duo's head. But he also knew that Duo knew the truth. The children were gone, moved away from the old orphanage and to new places. Spread all around in neighboring states. Helen had lost the battle with the lawyers and no more than two weeks after the father's death; New Hope Home closed its doors. It had all happened so fast, but at the same time, time seemed to have slowed. Everyday was painfully long at the same time, as the decision had seemed so fast.

Feeling Duo tighten his grip on him, Heero tightened his own grip, holding his breath as he waited for Duo to calm down.

"I miss him, 'ro…"

The voice was so low, a mere whisper, but was filled with all the pain and every ounce of sorrow that Heero was sure Duo was feeling now. It was killing him.

"I miss him so much…"

"Duo…" Heero licked over his lips, swallowing heavily before pressing his lips against Duo's temple. "He'll always be with you," he said slowly, but it sounded so fake. So damn cheesy. He wanted to say something special, something that held true meaning and would comfort his lover, but the only thing he could come up with was cheesy lines from the many cheesy movies Hilde had forced the guys to watch.

Sighing some, he tried again, with more confidence.

"As long as you don't forget the things he's done… The things he's told you… Then the Father will always be with us all. Everything good he's done, all those things he did for you, for Helen… For all the children at New Hope Home… It's visible in you all… He left a part of himself in everyone that he loved… And as long as you remember those good things, then that part of him will always be there. And he will always be…"

Duo just sniffed before whispering in a low voice. "Thank you, Heero… For saying that…"

Heero just kissed Duo's temple again and murmured softly. "Don't thank me… Thank him… Honor him on this day…"

Duo nodded slowly before pulling away from Heero, using the sleeve on his jacket to wipe his nose. "Yeah… Yeah, you're right… 's bitchin' as it is, life goes on… He helped me stay alive once, the least I can do is continue that for him now."

"That's the spirit, Duo," Heero replied and placed his hands on top of Duo's shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. Rewarded by a small, but bright smile, Heero tossed a glance over his shoulder onto the watch that was lying on the desk next to him. "It's time," he murmured softly and nodded his head towards the door. "Shall we, love?"

Duo nodded while taking a deep breath. "Let's go…"

***

The ceremony was as Heero expected.

Simple, but very beautiful.

The small church was packed with people; families, children… Everyone had something wonderful to say about Father Maxwell, not that Heero had expected anything less. But he was a little surprised just how much of an impact the man had done on so many people. He'd created families, educated both adults and children. He had created hopes, dreams and made sure that most, if not all those hopes and dreams had in one way come through.

His death was leaving a big hole in the heart of so many people and he felt that he himself was close to breaking down and crying with the rest. He wasn't unmoved, far from. He just steeled himself instead, wanting to be strong for Duo.

Beside himself to the left were Trowa, Quatre and Wufei, all dressed in black. Quatre was already in tears, not that Heero was surprised. Quatre was so sensitive that he wasn't only crying for himself, but for everybody in the god damned room. Trowa was having a protective arm around his small lover's shoulder; even Wufei was clearing his throat now and then to prevent himself from choking.

On his right were Duo, Hilde and Helen, also dressed in black for the occasion. Hilde and Helen were both sniffing, both clenching a small handkerchief in their hands to dry their eyes. Duo on the other hand was silent, looking stiffly ahead of himself. His hands were resting on top of his legs, but they were clenched tightly into fists.

Placing his own hand on top of one of Duo's, Heero gave it a tender squeeze before glancing over at his lover. Duo glanced right back at him and gave him a small grateful smile while unclenching his hand, letting Heero slide his fingers between his. "Thank you for being here," he whispered, barely hearable.

"Anytime," Heero whispered back before looking back up at the priest.

"The oldest children of the orphanage father Maxwell was in charge of wishes to speak a few words about the departed one," the priest spoke before gesturing towards Duo. Duo simply nodded before squeezing Heero's hand again. Slowly he got up and walked up towards the podium, two girls who looked about twelve following close behind him.

"Hi," Duo said in a weak voice before clearing his throat. "Sorry… Um…" Looking over his shoulder at the two girls, Duo gave a small nod before looking back over the people in the church. "I… I was asked if I could say a few words and… And it was kind of a given that I would… Because… Father Maxwell, he… He meant everything to me."

Looking down at the flower-covered casket that was resting in the middle of the church, Duo swallowed heavily before speaking up again, his voice crackling. "Father Maxwell was like a real father to me. Being one of the oldest kids in the orphanage… Or rather… Being the oldest one, for many different reasons… I guess out of all the kids… I think I got to know him the best. From the day I entered the orphanage and to the day I last saw him alive… He gave me his complete and utter support and help no matter what…"

Giving the first hint of a smile Heero had seen in days, Duo looked away from the casket and spoke more confidently. "Father Maxwell was a man that gave everything in the things he did. And he did it because he loved it. He didn't care what it would take, but as long as he could do it… That's all he needed. Running an orphanage alone with only a hand-full of employees and people that volunteered… Running it with only a few companies supporting him with the money that was needed to do it… It was his lifework. And he loved every moment of it. Every time a child was adopted into a loving family… He would glow. Because he knew that was one person that would have a happy future."

Clearing his throat again, Duo looked back down onto the casket before speaking in a more quiet voice, only the complete silence in the church doing so he was heard. "He gave everything to make people happy… Father Maxwell… Was the most kind, special and honest man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing… And with his death… Human kind has truly lost an angel… But he's where he belongs now, in heaven… And I know that he'll be up there, watching over the people he loved… The people he loves… And he'll make sure that we will be all alright…" Squeezing his eyes shut, Duo stepped away from the podium and walked over to the casket, lifting up a decoration of flowers in the shape of a cross as he did so. Placing it carefully onto the chest, Duo pressed his fingers to his lips before placing them against the white wooden lid. "Good bye, father," he whispered in a low voice before stepping back up to the podium, stopping behind the two girls and placed his hands on their shoulders.

The speech they read was no less sad or intense than Duo's speech had been, but for some reason Heero couldn't hear them properly. The words his lover has said, leaving his soul and heart so open and raw… It left him impressed and insanely proud of him. This was more than Duo had said in days, in weeks, so to see him being able to actually talk about it…

Clearing his throat, Heero tossed a quick glance over at Quatre, watching as the blond had his face buried in Trowa's chest, hearing the small sobs that emerged from him. Trowa gave Heero an almost pleading look, and Heero could understand the teen all too well. He knew how much trouble Trowa had when it came to emotions and dealing with them, they were quite similar that way.

The second Duo returned to his seat, Heero grabbed his hand and squeezed it, looking at his lover, studying him. Wanting to make sure that he was okay. Not a word was spoken, Heero barely dared to breathe, but Duo still gave a faint smile and nodded. He was all right.

The rest of the ceremony consisted of another hymn and several small speeches before the priest nodded to the audience. Once again Duo stood up, but along with him, the rest of the "Fallen Angels" joined in. Helen also stood up, a look of determination and sorrow on her face. Together they walked to the casket and each person found their given spot.

Flexing his fingers slightly, Heero looked at Duo's back before bending down when the others did, grabbing a tight hold of the handle attached to the wood. He knew he was gripping it way tighter than needed, but he didn't dare releasing the grip, terrified that he would drop the casket as they together lifted it up and brought it down to their shoulders.

The priest slowly walked to the head of the casket, said another small prayer before walking towards the exit of the church, the rest of the crowd following behind them as black, silent ghosts. It felt strange, being one of the pallbearers, and yet Heero could not think of any other time where he'd gotten an honor such as this. Though the knowledge made the chest feel much heaver than it was, making him terrified that he would slip or the handle would loosen up or anything. He wouldn't be surprised if fate created a slippery puddle or something beneath his feet just for this occasion.

After what felt like the longest walk of his life, they arrived at the freshly dug up burial sight where the sinking-mechanism for the casket was set up. Carefully placing it down, making sure not to let go before it was placed securely on the tracks, Heero straightened up and wrapped an arm around his lover's waist.

Watching as Duo grabbed a small shovel up from the dirt next to the hole and lifted it, bringing some of the dirt with it, Heero gave a small nod to the priest. The priest nodded back and looked over the crowd, into the distance as he started reciting the burial prayer while Duo tossed the dirt onto the polished lid of the casket.

"Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself."

Murmuring a quiet "Amen" along with the rest, Heero subconsciously squeezed Duo's side before stepping back from the casket, bringing him with him. Duo swallowed heavily before looking at the priest, his mouth opening as if he wanted to say something.

The priest simply nodded before Duo inhaled deeply. As he opened his mouth again, Heero could hear the gasp go over the crowd as his lover's golden voice made itself known.

"_Amazing grace…_

_How sweet the sound…_

_That saved a wretch like me…_

_I once was lost, but now am found_

_Was blind, but now I see…"_

Heero didn't even look up as he heard quiet steps behind them, closing his eyes as Trowa's own voice accompanied Duo's on the next verse.

"'_twas grace that taught my heart to fear,_

_And grace my fears relieved._

_How precious did that grace appear_

_The hour I first believed."_

Searching his brain for the song, Heero listened in as Quatre sniffed and then, his voice shaking, accompanied Duo and Trowa on the next verse, adding a lighter tone to the hymn.

"_Through many dangers, toils and snares_

_I have already come…_

'_tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,_

_And grace will lead me home."_

Opening his eyes, Heero watched as Hilde stepped up next to him, carefully drying her eyes with a white handkerchief, her mascara running down over her cheeks. That didn't stop her from adding her own shaky voice to the hymn. Heero cleared his throat, trying his best to fish out the words, but nothing came…

"_The Lord has promised good to me,_

_His word my hope secures…_

_Hi will my shield and portion be,_

_As long as life endures…"_

Looking over his shoulder as he felt a hand there, Heero blinked as he saw Wufei nod, giving Heero a small smirk. "Come now… It's not so bad," he whispered before looking at the casket along with the others in the band and started singing.

"_Yeah, when this flesh and heart shall fail,_

_and mortal life shall cease…_

_I shall possess, within the veil,_

_A life of joy and peace…"_

Cursing mentally, Heero beat himself up for the inability he still had to join in on things like this. Sure, he'd started playing the guitar along with the others in the band, having joined in on their rehearsals, but he couldn't let himself go like the others did.

Listening as Wufei's deep voice brought a new depth to the song, Heero shook his head and looked up. Fuck it. If Wufei with the stick up his ass could do this, then so could he. Inhaling, Heero looked at the casket and mustered up his courage the best he could. Then he opened his mouth and let his own, deep voice accompany the others, feeling a new part of him opening up.

"_When we've been there ten thousand years,_

_bright shining as the sun…_

_We've no less days to sing God's praise_

_Than when we first begun…"_

Feeling himself blush a little, Heero cleared his throat and looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed over his sudden step into the world of song. But as he looked up and saw the smile on Duo's face, he felt he could do it all over again from the top.

Smiling back, Heero placed a small kiss to Duo's cheek before whispering a low "I love you," into his ear. Duo just smiled and wrapped his arms around Heero's neck, hugging himself close to him. "Thank you, 'ro… Just… Thank you…"

"Anytime, love," Heero whispered back, wrapping his own arms around Duo's frail body. "Anytime…"

***

_Author's Notes: _

_Well, there you go, the newest chapter of the story and I am just hoping it is as good as my usual standards. _

_I took the inspiration from my own grandfather and cousin's funeral, and even though it's been a while since their departure, the memories of those days are still rather fresh in mind._

_Hopefully it won't take another year and a half until I get this story up and running again since I have far from forgotten it. _

_Cheers and kudo's!_


	50. Reality

**New Hope Home**

Seeing as I've been away for so long from this story, I've tried to quickly read over it again and man… So many annoying mistakes I've made that were there. . So… I think, when I am done with the story as a whole, I will pick it up from chapter one and rewrite the entire thing. Or at least the parts that REALLY needs a change.

But for now, chapter 50! And holy smokes, I didn't think that I'd get this far… ._. When I first planned this story I though "Oh, about 5-6 chapters maybe… 10 at the most, if I want to stretch it out some." Show how right I was, huh?

xxx

"Reality:"

It took a while until Duo was completely back on his feet after the funeral mentally, but the music, the band and his art helped him focus and recover the best he could. The hardest blow for the teen came one week after the funeral, when a man in a black suit appeared at their school in search of the braided teen.

"Duo Maxwell?"

Blinking, Duo looked up from his history-book, staring at the man with a curious look. "… That is me…"

Stepping up from behind the man, principal Treize Kushrenada gave Duo a small smile before gesturing for him to stand up. "Mister Maxwell. This gentleman here wishes a word with you."

Tossing a confused look over at Heero, Duo slowly started to collect his items back into his bag before standing up, carefully hoisting the strap off the bag over his shoulder. "Um… Okay."

Stepping aside, both Treize and the man in black gestured for Duo to go down the hall before Treize nodded at the class and closed the door, leaving the teacher and students to stare at the now closed door.

Meanwhile Duo tossed nervous glances over his shoulder, almost jumping out of his sneakers when a hand was placed on his shoulders. "I… I hope this won't take too long, I… I got to get back to class. Exam-time and all that," he mumbled in a nervous voice, cursing mentally over the fact that he sounded like a 14-year old that had just hit puberty.

"This won't take long," the man in black replied, not once looking at the braided teen. Duo wasn't sure if he preferred that or not.

Walking to Treize's office, the principal opened the door and gestured for them to sit down. Duo immediately walked over to the chair seated in front of the desk and sat down, already knowing that this was where he was to be roasted. To his surprised, the man in black went ahead and sat down into Treize's chair while Treize himself, walked over to the window, leaning against the frame while looking at Duo.

"Mister Maxwell. I am sure you are curious about why we have called you in here."

Duo nodded, his long bangs flying wildly around his head because of the force. "Eh… Yeah, the… Thought has crossed my mind."

The man just nodded while picking up a black suitcase from behind the desk, placing it on top of the desk. Opening it, he started rummaging around with some papers by the sound of it, still not looking at Duo.

Instead, Duo took the time to study him, noting to himself just how creepy the man looked. He was tall, at least one foot taller than Treize. His hair was jet-black and slicked backwards, looking like it would drip fat every time the man moved his head. His face was thin and he was wearing steel-framed glasses that enlarged the small, grey eyes behind them. It was the eyes that made Duo feel the most uncomfortable because they simply seemed so… Empty.

"Aha." Jumping slightly, Duo swallowed heavily and looked down as the man produced a small bundle of papers from the suitcase. "Ah, yes, here we are. We have some… Formalities we need to clear up, Mister Maxwell."

"Formalities," Duo managed to squeak out, wondering how much he was sweating right now. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest because he was so nervous.

"Yes, Mister Maxwell," the man replied before licking his thumb and started flipping through the pages. "I am sorry that I have to take you out from class, but I understand that it was the wish of your previous guardian that this was to be done as fast as possible. Also, since you are nearing your eighteenth birthday as well as the point in your life where you have to make some important decisions, it was agreed that we were to do this sooner rather than later. And I have yet to be informed about your current location by anyone, so I had to do it now."

"Wait, what? My guardian?" Blinking in confusion, Duo just stared at the man. "You mean Father Maxwell?"

"Actually, I am referring to a mister Howard," the man responded while looking through the papers, frowning slightly. "According to my papers, he was a friend of your father, though he was not available at the time of the… Accident. Most unfortunate, you have my condolences, even if it has been years." Picking up one sheet of paper, from his pile, he slid it over to Duo so he could read. "When he returned, you were already in the orphanage and despite being your godfather; he found it best that you remained where you were. He had no family to speak of himself and was always traveling and thus felt… unable to be a suitable parent for you. So he let you be in the care of Father Maxwell and the orphanage in the hope that you would be adopted into a loving family."

Duo just stared at the man before picking up the letter and started reading it.

"_Dear Father Maxwell._

_I must once again__ apologize__ for another failed adoption. Seems like the kid is a bit more hard-headed than one should think, probably has it from his father._

_Unfortunately __business has__ me away in Hawaii for a while longer, if not I would have come there to pick him up myself. I'm sure we could have made it work somehow, but I still feel it's wrong that he's to miss school and the chance to be a kid because of my line of work. But this is up to you to decide._

_I've transferred some more money from his parents account to yours so you can get him something new. Clothes, books, toys, whatever kids his age need to be happy._

_Do tell the kid I said hi, even if he does only know me as the "crazy old man at the garage". It's for the best, for now._

_Best regards_

_Howard"_

Not believing his eyes, Duo looked up from the letter before mumbling. "Howard… Howard was my godparent..? No fucking wonder he stopped by all the time and even gave me a job… Fucker was…"

Clearing his throat, the man decided to ignore the swearwords and simply leaned over to snatch the letter from Duo's hand, returning it to its pile. "He sent the orphanage money frequently so you would be taken properly cared of. Also, I believe this letter was sent around the time of your attempted suicide so it was a bit of a mess at the time. I believe Howard was intending to take you out of the orphanage, but was declined because the system felt he was… Unsuited, despite the fact that he was your godfather and guardian. But he gave away any rights that he had once he left you in that orphanage, sadly."

Duo just nodded and held up his hand in defense. "He did it for my own good and I should be grateful. I just can't believe he never told me."

"He is telling you now. He regretted that he couldn't be here himself, but business kept him away. Though he wishes for you to call him once we are done here."

Duo just nodded before looking up at the man again. "… So I take it that you are my lawyer or something then?"

"Almost. I am your parents' lawyer and I was given the task to inform you of your rights and your heritage. As mentioned earlier, it is a bit soon, but with less than a month until your birthday and it being so close to you ending your education and starting a new one…" The man smiled, making him seem slightly more human and kind. "Contrary to belief, Mister Maxwell, we are not that unreasonable. I am working in your parents as well as your best interest to make sure that your future is secure."

Duo frowned before scratching his head, his fingers sliding into his long hair. "Okay, what are you talking about? My best interest? My rights?"

The lawyer nodded before taking out a new piece of paper. "Yes. Since you are the only survivor in your family, the lone son if you will, you have inherited a lot of money from your parents. It was not to be given to you before you are eighteen, that rule still stands, but we are choosing to inform you about it so that you can start planning what to do with it."

Blinking, Duo gawked at the man before stuttering out "I… I have inherited money?"

"One hundred and fifty thousand dollars to be precise. It is both from your parents insurances, the sales of their belongings and savings that was left to you after taxes, the funeral and loan was paid off," the man responded before showing Duo the paper in his hand. "That is counting the money that was given to the orphanage to care for you. Also, your godfather left you another fifty thousand as a small apology for not having been there for you as much as he was supposed to during the years."

Duo's eyes widened as he stared at the number, his mouth feeling dry. "And… And that money is… Is mine?"

The man nodded while taking out another paper, showing the official papers from the sale of his parents' house and belongings. "Yes, everything has been taken care of in your name. In their joined agreement on their house was also a list of things not to be sold, things of affection and heritage. That too will be yours once you come of age." Once again smiling, the man gestured to Duo. "I believe that money should be sufficient to give you a good start for your education as well as a home, wouldn't you say?

Nodding his head absentmindedly, Duo continued to read over the official papers, seeing the names and signatures of his parents. "… I knew that… That they were… That my dad was selling houses and my mother was… Was an architect, I just… I was never told that they had been doing something like this for me…"

The lawyer just continued to smile that strange little smile. "Your parents cared for you a great deal, Mister Maxwell and they made sure that you were to be okay if something should happen to them. Of course, it is sad that they were ripped away from you in such an early age."

Duo just nodded before watching as the lawyer lost the smile and started piling papers in front of Duo. "Right. For now, I will just go through your rights and make sure that you understand the deals and agreements that have been made. We will also make sure that on the day you turn eighteen that all the money will be transferred to a savings account that has already been opened in your name."

Feeling himself go pale, Duo glanced at the paper while mentally wishing that Heero was there to help him. "… This is going to take a while… Isn't it?"

The lawyer smirked while handing Duo a pen and some blank pieces of papers for taking notes. "I do believe we will be quite busy for some time. As said, I shall not keep you here for long, but some formalities and agreements must be taken care off before I can let you go. Then we can make some agreements as to when we shall properly go through this all.

Duo just sighed before nodding again. This was going to be a long day.

xxx

Quatre just blinked while staring at Duo, who was securely cuddled up against and wrapped in Heero's arms. "Whoa, so… So your parents left you with a great deal of money, huh? To ensure your future..? Amazing, that… Oh, I should have known, of course they would have left you with something…"

Wufei just shook his head before smirking at Duo. "Well well well… Seems like educational choices just became a little wider for you, Maxwell. Though I must say, I am happy for you."

Duo nodded, though he didn't look as happy as the others. He did look happy, but he also looked like he had just gotten a new load on his shoulders. "Thanks guys. Just… I wonder what the fuck I am to do with them… I mean… Some will go to my education, sure… That was in the will and all that. And I want to do something for Heero's parents as a thank you for letting me stay with them." Sighing heavily, Duo cuddled closer against his lover and closed his eyes. "And while it is only logical, I didn't really expect any money to be given to me. And I never thought I'd have trouble finding something to do with them. But… Education, a place to stay and something for Heero's folks, that's a given. And of course, something for you guys."

Wufei raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "Please, don't be stupid. Why are you going to give us anything? You owe us nothing."

"I owe you everything," Duo replied, sitting up more properly, though still keeping himself in Heero's arm. "You've helped me through a lot of stuff, both now and in the past. I owe you my life."

"And you have done the same to us," Trowa replied in a quiet voice, smiling at the braided teen. "You nudged me enough to actually dare to take the plunge with Quatre, even if it took a long time… You created a gang of misfits where we could be ourselves instead of being outcasts or pretending to be someone we were not in order to fit in."

Wufei snorted in agreement before smirking. "And look at us… Would we fit in anywhere? We got you, who are an orphan who lived in an Orphanage until he couldn't anymore, one son of a billionaire, one son of a circus family. I'm basically the son of a Chinese mafia-leader, Hilde's the daughter of the worse bounce-around family I have ever seen in my entire life and Heero… He's the son of a family that demands perfection and neither one of us are perfect in any way. By school logic and so-called social ranks we are not supposed be together, but here we are. And we are together. And I dare saw we have the tightest bonds to each other that one can possibly have."

Duo chuckled a little with that and smiled. "Wow… That's got to be the most I've heard out of any of you two. I am touched," he mused as he leaned back down against Heero's chest.

Heero just stroked his hand over Duo's hair before smiling at him. "If you really want to do something for us… Then get a good education. Something you want. But if you insist on tossing a little money about, then… How about a school-finish party? Just us going crazy one last time before summer takes over. How's that?"

Quatre nodded eagerly, his smile threatening to split his face in two. "You know, that is a wonderful idea! But let's not have Duo pay it all, we can all chip in a little. A gift to each other from each other."

His own smile was just as wide as Duo nodded in agreement. "You know, I like that, I like that a lot. Just a… Small celebration of our own, that's…"

"That's the way it should be," Heero murmured while kissing Duo's neck tenderly. "Don't you think? Even if I am the new-comer in the group."

"I couldn't agree more," Duo murmured while running his fingers over Heero's arm. "And shush about that, you are a Fallen Angel, just like the rest of us. You passed your test a long time ago. We belong together."

The others just nodded while giving each other warm smiles.

They had survived together for a long time, some a bit shorter than the others, but had stood with them nonetheless. They had always been around for each other, through thick and thin no matter what. They had helped each other through rough times and cheered each other on in the good times. Teenagers that were as different as you could get them, but still had those right qualities in them to look past it and nurture true friendship.

As it is supposed to be.

xxx

_Author's Notes: _

_Lawyers are people too. _

_This fellow is based on the lawyer that my grandmother had in order to take care of family business when both my grandfather, his brother and her own mother died in the span of less than a year. Wasn't long before his side of the family came with their grubby hands in an attempt to leech. She had a very understanding and kind lawyer though, so everything worked out just fine, leaving people mostly happy._


	51. Beginnings and Ends

**New Hope Home**

I'm noticing that it gets harder and harder for me to write, the closer I am getting to the end of it. :/ And yes, I am slowly getting to the end of this story. How many chapters that are left, I cannot say for sure. I do not dare to give it a number just yet.

Work and school is also giving me a hard time as well as some personal problems in real life. I am slowly working my way through that as well.

Also, forgive me if there is some obvious mistakes in the way American kids apply to schools. I am basing my knowledge on cheap TV-shows and what I can find on the internet.

xoxoxoxox

"Beginnings and Ends:"

None of the teenagers had time to plan anything though until after their exams were over with. Letters and applications had to be written for the school's of their choice, exams had to be studied to and it was a miracle if they were able to make any time what so ever to see each other during all this.

For Heero and Duo it was easier, seeing as they were living under the same roof, but they too were feeling the strain of pressure over their heads. Especially when it came to choosing a school for them both. While Heero had told Quatre what he really wanted to do, he hadn't really shared it with Duo, not wanting to add an additional source of stress to his lover.

Still, as they sat together during the night and discussed what they wanted to do, Heero had earned more than one pillow swatted over his head accompanied by a "Heero, damn, choose your own path!". At least Duo didn't give him the cold shoulder and left the bed.

In fact, it was in bed where they could vent out some of their thoughts by talking and just soaking up each other's presence. Sex was far from their minds at these times, but the need of each other was much to ignore. At least they had the decency to wait until they were alone in the house, which was, in Heero's opinion, not often enough.

The worse argument they had had so far as when Heero decided to follow through with his father's wishes and applied to Harvard Medical School as well as the University of Washington. He felt he owed his father that much while Duo argued that Heero did not owe the man anything.

The biggest frustrations was that none of the main schools were near where Duo planned to apply, having set his eyes on the art-schools in California, Florida and New York. The only hope they had to even get to go at the same school was if Duo got into the music line at Harvard, but Duo doubted it because of his grades as well as the result on his SAT test. He had passed it, but only just. Heero had suggested that Duo could take it again, but the braided teen was unwilling to lay off his school-plans for an entire year unless he had to.

So to make sure that Duo had at least a chance to get into Harvard along with himself, Heero sat up and tried to help Duo with his finals, not wanting for his lover to fail. Duo was, if not still annoyed by Heero's choice, at least willing to make a good attempt to get into the same school as him. "Maybe I can beat some sense into you so you can try something you actually want later," he had said before hitting Heero with his math book.

When the exams finally rolled around, Heero felt very much like they had come out of no-where. While he felt somewhat prepared, he knew that he had spent more time helping Duo than he had done studying for his own tests.

The look on Duo's face, however, told Heero that the braided teen had had just as much difficulties with the tests as he did. The look he had when he came out from the examination-room was one of dread and desperation. Heero could hardly blame him. Not only did Duo have to think about a career, but he was almost pressured to do so now. He was on his own after all; Heero doubted his parents would let him stay if he left. There were always the Winners or even the Barton's, but Heero knew that his lover would never accept such charity.

"Shoot me, just… Just shoot me," Duo moaned as he all but stumbled into Heero's arms, gripping at Heero's white shirt. "Either I will fail so completely that I will have to start high-school all over again or the people dealing with my test will let me pass by a hair because they will be so damn amused by my answers."

"Don't say that," Heero murmured while draping his arm around Duo's waist, tugging him in close to his side as he started guiding them both towards the exit. "I am sure you did much better than you think."

"I was close to crying," Duo pouted before shaking his head. "But that was the final one. We are done so… Now all we have to do is wait." The braided teen sighed and shook his head some before giving Heero his best puppy-eyes look. "Cheer me up?"

The Japanese teen just smirked and nodded, gently tugging Duo closer to him and pressed a small kiss to his lips. "How about we locate the others and we go out for some ice cream? Or we can play some basketball. It is sunny outside and we can always drop by your place and pick one up."

"I think I'll go for the ice cream, sounds a heck of a lot better than sweating in the sun," Duo replied, but the thought of the cold treat did seem to cheer him up.

"My treat then," Heero murmured before tugging Duo towards the door and towards freedom. They only had to wait for their grades now and they would be graduating. Then they would start college and that's when things would get serious; not only because they were moving away from home, but because of what the couple would face. They still had no idea what would happen if they were accepted into different schools and it was something Heero did want to talk to Duo about.

He knew that long-distance was hard to make work, but he wanted to try. Breaking up with Duo was not acceptable in his mind; unless that's what Duo wanted, of course. They had been through too much to let a thing as distance stop them.

That night Heero and Duo made love with such a passion that the Japanese was certain that they were waking up the entire neighborhood. Luckily his parents had the nightshift and the teens were alone for most of the night. They did not squander the opportunity given to them and had used the time to the best of their abilities.

Only when Duo passed out from his third orgasm did Heero think that they had caught up for the lost time and dealt with the stress in their system. He carefully cleaned his lover off and disposed off the used condoms before he curled around his long-haired lover, arm securely wrapped around his waist and body pressed up against his.

The time after their exam was used well as well. The five teenage men were making up for lost time the best they could, playing music or just in general being together.

Wufei announced that he had finally decided that he would return to China to visit his sick fiancé. She was apparently doing a lot better and the families had decided that the time would be used to get the two of them married, since they were both of legal age and because Wufei had graduated. The Chinese did not look as upset with the thought has he had before and said that he honesty looked forward to being wed with her. The rest couldn't be happier on his behalf and while they would most likely not be able to attend the wedding, with the exception of Quatre of course, they would call him the day after to congratulate him.

Quatre himself said he would most likely start at Harvard as well, having already been guarantied at Harvard Business School thanks to his father's business as well as money. Not that the blond had to be bribed in, he certainly had the grades, talents and brain for it. He was just slipped in a little ahead of others. Quatre wasn't very happy about that fact, but his father's will was basically law.

Trowa didn't say much about his own desires, only murmured that he wasn't even sure if he wanted to start college. His sister had voiced a desire to take his talents in acrobatics as well as gymnastics to the circus, though the rest of the Barton's wasn't happy with the thought of Catherine stealing their son to do that. Trowa hadn't say yes or no to the offer, but had voiced a desire to start training to be a mechanic. Not only was there always a need for a good mechanic, but he could also follow Quatre to Harvard easier.

Heero was almost envious of Trowa's simple wish in life and, in a way, hoped that he too could have had a wish of his own. The dream he had voiced to Duo seemed further and further away, only because he was too afraid to grasp it.

Maybe some day he would be able to.

It took almost three weeks before the results of their exam came back and Heero was, for the most part, happy with his grades. He had gotten A's only, though some were A minus for some minor details missing. He knew his father would respond to it, but he couldn't complain on Heero's grade card, which would only show A's.

Quatre and Wufei shared Heero's skills, having produced only A's, though Quatre's final grade card showed a B in gymnastics. While athletic, Quatre wasn't as strong as the others, which had taken its toll in strength-exercises.

Trowa and Duo couldn't show the same results, but they too had a couple of A's to show for. Most of their grades were B's, though Duo could also show for a couple of C's. The braided teen didn't seem to mind though, he was only to happy having passed all of his classes an exams. Heero reminded him that the stress with Father Maxwell's funeral as well as the work with the lawyer, the orphanage as well as moving could be used if he wished to take the exams again, but Duo declined. He doubted he could get anything better and it also meant he would have to wait half a year to retake it, which he was not willing to do. He would fly where he was able to.

Not long after did the results of their SAT roll in as well, which meant that letters of acceptance or declinations would soon follow. Having set his eyes on Harvard, Heero had to go through three different tests in order to enroll to the college. Duo, while knowing he had no chance to get into Harvard, had done the same. At least he would get something to show for.

His father had been very proud of him that he had almost two thousand three hundred points to show for, telling him he was basically guarantied a spot at Harvard with grades such as that. Heero didn't really care, knowing that his father was happy for himself, not for Heero.

The Japanese teen was, however, move happy for Duo, who had managed to claw himself up to almost one thousand eight hundred, which was very respectable in his eyes.

He did know though that it probably was not enough to get his lover to Harvard, but maybe close enough for them to be able to visit each other often.

This also meant that Heero would have to think about the conversation he wished to have with Duo about their future together. He just hoped that his beloved wouldn't take it the wrong way.

As it turned out, Heero didn't have much to worry about when it came to that.

Having invited his lover out for the night to both enjoy each other's company as well as some time away from the house, Heero had brought his lover to a restaurant downtown for dinner. He hadn't struck up on the conversation until they were on their way home though and even then did he start out very carefully.

Duo had only looked at him before letting out a small chuckle. "Ah, so that's what's had your knickers riding the last few weeks… I have been meaning to ask you, but I know that you will take it up with me when you are good and ready for it," he mused before squeezing the hand in his. "Heero… I just got to say… You are being an idiot. An incredibly sweet worrywart of an idiot."

Heero frowned some before huffing. "Excuse me for wanting to ensure our future together."

Duo laughed and gave Heero a small nudge with his elbow. "Heero, I thought it was a given. Distance won't break us up, we are to stubborn for it. Besides, why should we break up? College will give us both plenty to do and like this, we won't exactly neglect each other since we will both be in the same boat and we will understand the pressure. We will get the chance to focus on our studies and give us something to look forward to in week-ends and vacations." Smiling at Heero, Duo moved in closer to his lover, giving Heero the chance to wrap his arm around his waist instead of holding his hand. "Besides… I love you. I don't want to break up. I know I will miss you like crazy and I will probably call you every day and be awake every night and ache for you and all that. As far as I am concerned, even if we did decide to end it for the sake of the distance… I won't date at all then. It's you or nothing."

Heero raised an eyebrow over Duo's special choice in reasons and logic before letting out an amused chuckle. "Duo… You have the most insane, romantic piss of a reason that I've ever heard. And the worse part is, I believe it. I believe every word." Smiling, he stopped their walk so he could lean in and press his lips to Duo's in a warm, loving kiss.

"I love you, you braided baka."

Duo laughed and poked Heero's chest, still smiling against the warm lips. "Oh, oh, I know what that means! It means gorgeous sex-god, right?"

Heero smirked and kissed Duo again. "Close enough."

Their time as carefree youth was almost over and soon they would start an entirely new beginning.

Heero was glad that while they may not be able to actually enter their new beginning together, they would at least be able to start it.

Their story was not over.

Not by a long shot.

xoxoxoxox

_Author's Notes: _

_This one was written somewhat in a hurry, but I feel I should finish this now. As I may re-write the entire thing sometime in the future, I will correct any possible mistakes and errors that I make._

_Also, if anyone find any mistakes in me describing how to enroll into a college (really, when I looked it up online, I only ended up confused), feel free to correct me and tell me how it really happens. As said, I am basing myself on the internet and TV, and we all know how reliable that is. _ _

_As always, thank you all for reading this and I am so sorry for the horrible long wait._


	52. Never Say Never

**New Hope Home**

And finally, a new chapter on this story. I am struggling a little to continue with it, simply because off time, but I will try my best to write when I have the time to.

But be warned, if I do not have the time, I do not have the time. Updates can, and most likely will be slow. I can only apologize for that. I am working part-time at the same time as being a fulltime student at a very demanding study so free time is few and far between. I will try though, I really will. My goal is to finish this story this year, unless something major comes up.

Also, trying to write something that makes sense when I have so little knowledge on the American college system (Google has been surprisingly bad at giving me what I need with it comes to info), I will probably get a few things wrong. Feel free to correct me.

Hope you will enjoy this one though!

"Never Say Never:"

Getting the letter of acceptance to Harvard Medical School was probably the worse and best thing that had happened to Heero. Not only was it another nail to secure his future, but it was also crow-bar to take him further away from Duo. At least that's how it felt.

While his parents had been thrilled, hugging Heero as he read his letter, the small smile of sadness that decorated Duo's lips had been heart wrecking.

The braided teen had yet to get a letter of acceptance from anywhere and Heero could tell that Duo was starting to loose hope. He knew that most of the schools that Duo had applied to would require an audition or a port-folio, which meant that it was most likely to happen after they had graduated, but the braided teen was still hoping that he could at least get a letter about that soon.

Their exams were over and done with, graduation were only days away and while Heero knew that letters would continue to be sent for weeks still, he also couldn't take watching Duo slowly turn gloomier by the day.

Oh, he didn't show it. His mood and support of his friends as well as his happiness for Heero was all genuine, but it was the shadow behind the smile that Heero could see all too clearly that had his heart ache.

And Heero knew why Duo was taking the wait so horrible.

While Heero now had his path set for him, Duo was again a drifter, not knowing where he would go or when, just like he had been all his life while he was in the orphanage. While he had been with Heero for the last three months now, living with him and his parents, it was also the first time since he was a child that he'd had something secure. Or at least more secure than he'd had before. And this, Duo felt, was about as insecure as one could get when it came to ones future.

Still, there was one thing Heero could do to cheer Duo up and he was trying his best to get the rest of the Fallen Angels into it as well. And when Duo finally did get an invitation to come for an audition in New York, Heero only became more determined to help Duo take his mind off the worse of the pressure.

"I don't know, Heero," Quatre said quietly while plucking at the strings of his violin. "We've never really done something like that before, playing in a band has just been a hobby for us."

"That is why it is perfect," Heero murmured, crossing his legs as he leaned back on the bed, eyeing Quatre from his spot on the floor.

Quatre bit his lip, glancing over at Trowa, who simply shrugged. "I like the idea," the tall teen replied in his usual, calm voice. "The question is if we will be able to prepare for it."

"I am not saying that we are to do this with completely new material, we use what we have and know. If we feel brave enough, we can attempt some of the songs that we only know partly," Heero replied. "And I am fairly sure that I should be able to learn at least two or three songs myself on the guitar if we decide soon. I've already contacted Hilde and she seems to be willing to join in."

Wufei rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought as he listened to Heero speak. "Yuy has a good idea," he said slowly after a while. "Think about it… I know Maxwell has applied for hard schools, schools that may not send out their letters until after all exams are finished because of auditions and the likes. Winner, you already have that spot secured in business and Barton, you are going to work with your sister. Yuy has gotten the letters he wishes for as well, and even I have a spot ready for me when I go to China. But Maxwell has yet to get one. Not to mention that he has that lawyer breathing down his neck. I know that he's there to help him, but I think it stresses him more than it relaxes him." Wufei shrugged and shifted some on the spot on the floor, leaning his arms against the bed he leaned against, carefully so he wasn't accidentally nudging Heero. "I think something like this may help him get his mind off things, yeah? Something for him to work on. And it is like Yuy says, we don't have to do much out of it, just something he can think about."

Trowa and Quatre just stared at Wufei, who in turned stared right back at them. "… What?"

Quatre let out a small giggle and smiled at Wufei. "It's just… You talked so much. And you spoke with fondness and desire to help Duo."

Wufei snorted some, closing his eyes and turning his head away from the blond. "Come on now. You are being ridiculous."

Quatre just grinned before he looked over at Heero again. "Okay, it seems like we are all basically for this. And you mentioned Hilde earlier?"

Heero nodded, crossing one leg over the other as he straightened up some more. Sitting on the floor made his back ache. "Hai. Like I said, I've already texted her and had a brief chat with her. If she is able to, she would love to be here with us. The only thing we have to do now is to talk to the head-master and ask if Duo can't perform along with us for the graduation ceremony."

"It's still a huge thing to ask for though. It's not certain that Treize will accept," Quatre replied, then squeaked as he suddenly got a pillow tossed on himself by Wufei.

"Winner, you are supposed to be the positive one when Maxwell is not here!" he barked, though there was no real harshness in his voice. "Now be positive! Khushrenada has asked for us to play at events before, and we have declined because we haven't wanted the attention, nor have we felt that we've been ready! I say we are ready now!"

Trowa just stared at Wufei before he started laughing, placing a hand over his mouth in a desperate attempt to silence himself.

"What? Barton, why are you laughing?"

"It's Barton," Heero replied dryly. "He's probably made some sort of crazy connection in his head –again-. Even I've gotten used to it and I've only been around you for a year. Less even."

Wufei couldn't really argue with that, Trowa had proven his inability to not laugh at completely random things a long time ago, making connections that not even Duo could hope to match.

"So we agree then," Quatre asked, giving his lover a nudge with his elbow. "We'll try to get a show going for graduation?"

"Hai." Heero got up from his spot on the floor and reached for his jacket. "I'll e-mail Khushrenada and ask him. You start thinking about songs that you know and like. Try to discreetly ask Duo as well, he's already wondering about my own questions to music so I'm not able to poke much more."

"That we can do," Quatre chirped, smiling brightly as he got off his chair, placing his violin on his desk. "I am sure I can fish out some of his favorites, I always ask him about music anyway."

"Great. Make sure to send me the lyrics and notes for it so I can practice as well. Duo's finally gotten a letter from Manhattan school of music, so we're going to New York this week-end for his audition."

"Oooh, he didn't mention that!" Quatre pouted. "So he has gotten one letter then!"

"He wouldn't have mentioned it to me either, but I was the one who brought in the mail that day," Heero grinned, tugging on his blue denim jacket before brushing some of his hair away from his face. "He didn't want to get his hopes up, he said, but there's no way that I'm letting him go alone. I know he will work himself into a knot without some support. Of course, he doesn't know that I will join him, he will protest if I say I will now."

"Heh, that sounds like Duo alright," Quatre chuckled before moving to hug Heero. "So you will go and ask Khushrenada then?"

"Hai, I am just going to pick Duo up from the lawyers' office first. He had to ask for some money so he could travel to New York and apparently there was a little bit of paperwork involved."

"Ah, that explains his absence. I did think it was something to do with the lawyer though."

"It is a lot for him to handle, though he is doing his best. He's getting a lot of help and support from Helen, as she knows best how he's been the last ten years," Heero replied before nodding to the others. "I will see you guys later. I'll send you an e-mail or call you as soon as I know more."

The others nodded back and Heero walked out of the room, hurrying downstairs so he could pick up his braided lover.

It was time to execute the plan and make sure it did not plan.

"Nimou yokai."

Then he pulled a face because of how terrible that sounded. He really had to stop switching over to Japanese when he was determined about something.

The same week Duo traveled away for the weekend, going to New York to go to an audition for one of the music schools he'd applied to. Heero, naturally, traveled with him for support, unwilling to let Duo go on his own. The look off gratitude on Duo's face as he announced it was more than enough for the Japanese teen to know that he had done something right.

The trip was only for a day, at least in theory. He couldn't be with him as he tried out and Duo himself preferred to go to the school alone so he could focus solely on the audition, but that didn't mean that Heero was bored.

Instead, he hooked his laptop up at the motel-room they were staying at and was currently speaking with Quatre over Skype.

"So get this," Quatre said, the small webcam-transfer between them showing the blond grinning. "I think I know exactly which songs we're going to sing, but one of them is a little hard. But I really think it would mean a lot to Duo if we managed to pull it off."

"How did you get that information?" Heero asked, cocking an eyebrow at Quatre.

"Quite easily actually. Since I knew that he was going for his audition, I asked him what he was singing, if he had any favorites. I suggested a couple of songs and in general just fished around a bit."

"I didn't think about that. As far as I've heard, at auditions like that you have to sing or perform something that the school decides as well. Though I know he got some texts he was supposed to choose from…" Heero smirked. "Good job, Quatre."

"Oh, you flatterer you," Quatre chuckled, grinning back at Heero. "So yeah. You said Treize had given us the green light?"

Heero nodded, locating the mail he had gotten from Khusrenada. "Hai. He was quite positive to it and said we had about fifteen minutes, which should be enough time to perform a couple of songs. We could have gotten more, but he said we were a bit late and a program had already been decided for most part."

"In other words we were lucky."

"In other words, Treize felt a little sorry for what Duo has been going through lately, but yes. We were all in all lucky that he could squeeze us in."

Quatre nodded some and bit at his lower lip, looking a little worried all of a sudden. "You don't think Duo will take this the wrong way, do you..?"

Heero tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"That this is just a charity-thing to make him feel better. I mean, we are doing it for him because we care for him and love him and want to see him happy again. And he loves to sing and perform a little, but… What if he takes it the wrong way?"

"Oh." Heero casually waved his hand at the webcam. "Don't think about it. I wasn't planning on keeping it a secret from him. I was just waiting until he was done with this audition so he won't have the additional pressure on him. Also, if he doesn't want to do it, there is no need for him to feel guilty. I asked Treize not to put us up until after the week-end as I wanted to talk to Duo first and he understood, when thinking about the circumstances he is currently in. Duo, that is."

"Wow, you really have thought about everything, haven't you?"

"I have tried to at least." The Japanese teen let out a small sigh, carefully pinching the bridge between his eyes. "I just want to cheer him up, but I share many of the worries you do, Quatre. I am afraid to insult him as well, even if I am sure he will like it."

Quatre smiled softly. "You love him," he murmured softly. "And he loves you. He knows that you are not doing this because you wish to add insult to injury, but because you want to make him feel better. He loves music and he loves bringing cheer and a concert at the school will do this. And it will be something for him to remember as well because he will be able to share it with people he cares for, especially if we can get Helen to come and maybe even some of the older kids if they can."

"That I didn't think about," Heero said. "If we can get Helen to come… Duo would love that. And Helen will probably like it as well."

"She wouldn't miss it for the world; she loves Duo like he was her own son."

"Yeah, you're right about that." Heero smiled some before looking at the time. "Duo should be back soon. I'm going to take him out later, to help him take his mind off things before we leave to go home tomorrow."

"Sure thing, just keep me updated, okay?"

"Will do, Quatre," Heero said before giving the blond a small wave, said blonde just grinning and waved eagerly back as the conversation was stopped.

Letting out a small sigh, Heero shut his computer down before moving to lie on the bed. At least he had brought some books with him for cases such as this, when he didn't know when Duo would be back and wanted to pretend that he was doing nothing when in reality he was plotting something.

Not that it worked most of the time, Duo had an uncanny ability to look straight through him and Heero's only hope was that the stress Duo was going through right now was enough to cloud those eagle-eyes for at least a little while.

It took longer than expected for Duo to return to the hotel, but to Heero's relief he looked fairly okay. The tension in his jaw and the lost look in his eyes were gone, replaced with something that Heero could only interpret as satisfaction.

"So it went well then," he asked, putting his book aside and rising from the bed, moving to give his lover a kiss on the lips.

"Much better than expected," Duo replied, returning the kiss before draping his arms around Heero's shoulders. "They wanted me to sing one song by heart which I thought best represented my personality as well as a couple of songs of their choice. Just glad that they had the lyrics since I hadn't heard of one off them and the other one I only knew bits from."

"And then?"

"Well, I had to wait a while for several callbacks and auditions, seems like they had booked the days so that they could hear the different people several times with different types of music."

Heero nodded before giving Duo another kiss, then swatted his ass. "Then I think you should head into the showers so we can go out to celebrate. You need a night to relax for a change, rather than being so damn stressed."

Duo gave Heero a sheepish smile. "I've been that bad, huh?"

"That and then some," Heero replied back, giving Duo a small squeeze before removing his arms from him. "Go. It's time for us to enjoy ourselves now."

"Yes, master," Duo murmured, smirking at Heero as he wandered into the bathroom. He stuck his head out from there after a minute or so, still grinning. "Wanna join me?"

"If I do, we won't get out of there," Heero replied, tossing a clean shirt at Duo, who just laughed and caught it.

"Okay okay, will try to hurry."

Heero just smirked and shook his head some, feeling an immense sense of relief as he heard the shower turn on and the first tunes of Duo's singing coming from the bathroom.

The evening passed too fast for Heero's taste, but it had achieved exactly what he had wanted. Duo had been smiling and visibly relaxing as the evening progressed until he was back to his old self again.

He expressed how relieved he had been that he had finally gotten a letter to somewhere, that knowing that he had a shot was a huge load of his shoulder. He also acknowledged that there probably would be more letters in the future since most of his studies required auditions and those would be held after their exams were over and done with.

As they walked back to the hotel, Duo happily curled his arm around Heero's, snuggling up to his side. "I had a really wonderful time, 'ro. Thank you so much for doing this for me."

"It was the very least I could do," Heero murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Duo's temple before leaning his head against his. "Besides, I need to butter you up the best I can for what I will ask off you later."

Duo raised an eyebrow, but the smile that appeared on his lips was downright impish. "Is that so, eh..? Finally going to drag out one of your weird fetishes, eh? Got a whip or something packed away in your bag?"

"I should have known that you would take it in that direction," Heero sighed, though he still looked amused by Duo's teasing. "Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with any weird fetish of mine."

"Bummer."

"If it will make you feel better I can always come up with a weird fetish for us to explore."

Duo chuckled softly and shook his head, looking up at Heero with a smirk. "Just spill the beans, 'ro. You have me all nice and buttered up so you could probably ask me to strip and run down Broadway Avenue in the nude and I would do it."

"You would do that none the less, just to get a kick," Heero deadpanned, making Duo snicker.

"Okay, yeah. You're right, I will. Remind me to do that if I get into this school, okay?"

"Only if you take pictures."

"Always." The braided teen leaned his head against Heero's shoulder and let out a relaxed sigh. "So what's on your mind, super-Heero?"

"Well…" Heero bit his lip for a second before he started talking. "Me and the guys have… Kind of been sneaking behind your back for the last week or so."

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"We didn't like seeing you so stressed and miserable, and we wanted to do something for you, something we knew would cheer you up." Heero paused for a moment, waiting for Duo to say something if he wanted. When there was nothing, he continued.

"Remember how Mister Khushrenada has asked you to perform at school events before? Well, we decided that performing at the graduation day would be a perfect finish for our time here as well as preparing you for studying music later. And that not just you, but all of us will have a lot of fun with it."

"… You did what?"

Mentally wincing at the question, Heero stopped their walking so he could look at Duo. "It's nothing binding. Mister Khushrenada has full understanding if we don't wish to do it after all, especially since he does know the amount of stress you are under. It was just a way, an offer, to take things off your mind since…" He swallowed some; he had felt less nervous coming out to his parents! "… Since you love music. And while you don't want the attention, I know you like to entertain people and create fun. I remember the day when we celebrated Trowa's birthday, when you were singing with the DJ. You didn't do it for the attention; you just did it for fun. To make people laugh. And that's why I thought that this… This would be something you would enjoy."

He turned his head down, his face covered by the long, chocolate-colored bangs. "… If I was wrong-"

A finger had been placed on his lips, silencing him efficiently. When he peaked up through his bangs he saw that Duo was looking rather amused.

"You're really not as tough as you pretend to be, aren't you," he mused, making Heero raised an eyebrow. Duo just smiled and replaced his finger with his lips, giving his lover a warm, loving kiss. "You know me so well," he whispered against the warm lips, placing a hand against Heero's neck as he held him still.

Heero relaxed a little when he heard that, wrapping his arm around Duo's waist and tugged him close to himself. "So… You will do it then?"

Duo nodded, grinning some as he rested his forehead against Heero's. "Yeah. Yeah, I will. Can be nice to bring with me for future auditions as well as for my portfolio, eh? Just have to make sure someone's taping the damn thing," he murmured, stroking his hand over Heero's arm.

Heero chuckled some and smiled at Duo. "Don't you worry about that, it'll all be taken care off."

The braided teen just smirked and stole a kiss from his lover. "You know… Coming from you… I have no doubts about that. You're good that way." Then his grin just turned more playful as he ran a finger down over the Japanese teen's arm. "Now… Let's see if we can find some of your kinks, eh..? I got curious now."

Heero couldn't get back to hotel fast enough, especially now since Duo was just about having his hands down the back-pockets of his jeans.

This was going to be an awesome night.

_Author's Notes:_

_Finally managed to finish this. I was going to have it done so much earlier, but shit happened. I had an old friend dying during Easter, I had to put down my cat of 13 years and every last breath of free time was used to actually sleeping and eating. I was all wrapped up in my exams and work, but I have finally found enough of a breather to sit down and do something that –I- want to do._

Now, there is something I have to say. And that is thank you.

_Thank you so much for following me this far. Thank you so much for notes and mails of encouragement. Thank you so much for understanding. And thank you so much for reading and supporting._

_It has meant a lot to me and it has been a goal, an inspiration to finish this fic when things have been rough. And while I have grown more slow thanks to private life and school and whatnot, I am going to finish this fic. I am going to make improvements to it, made additions, remove useless chapters and just in general just make it flow more easily._

_I hope you will be there through that as well._

_Thank you so very much once again. 3 I hope I will not disappoint you in my writing even if my speed is less than satisfactory._


End file.
